This brigade marched from Bayou Boeuff on the 9th of April, 1863, to Brahsear City, which place it reached the same day. On Saturday, April 11, it embarked on board the steamers Clifton, Estrella, Saint Mary's, and Calhoun for a landing on Grand Lake, in rear of Franklin, La. The transports and gunboats sailed on Sunday forenoon and reached Madam Porter's shell-road landing during that afternoon. A reconnaissance of this road, made under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel Fisek, of the First Louisiana, showed this road to be impracticable. The Clifton then moved to Madam Porter's plantation road landing. At about 1 o'clock on Monday morning, April 13, Captain W. J. Denslow, of my staff, and Lieutenant Matthews, acting as an aide on my staff, with a few men from the Sixth Regiment New York Volunteers, made a reconnaissance of this road, leading from Grand Lake to Bayou Teche. It was found to be practicable for all arms, and at dawn Louisiana Volunteers, under Colonel Holcomb supporting him with the remainder of the regiment. They forced the wood, the enemy leaving in a very hasty manner. The First Regiment Louisiana Volunteers advanced about three-quarters of a mile to the outer skirt of the wood nearest the Teche. In this position I re-enforced him with all the troops that had landed, Colonel Birge, commanding the Third Brigade, furnishing me with two regiments for this purpose form his brigade, these regiments having landed time appeared to our front and right a force of the enemy, consisting of cavalry and four pieces of artillery. This force was increased by the appearance of some infantry, which appeared to be moving toward my right flank. At 10.30 a. m. a battery of artillery and some cavalry having reported to me,a nd the enemy having apparently withdrawn his force behind the sugar-house at McWilliams' plantation, I commenced advancing my skirmishers over the open field in my front, and I ordered the cavalry to go forward and seize the junction of the plantation road, over which I had advanced, with the road on the banks of the Teche. This movement caused the enemy to reappear with his cavalry and two pieces of his artillery and to open fire on our cavalry. I immediately advanced a section of artillery and some infantry to seize the fork of the road and, if possible, Madam Porter's bridge over the Teche. Before 12 o'clock this was accomplished. The bridge had been fired by the enemy, but the fire was extinguished before any great damage was done, and the negroes on the plantation were at once set to work to repair the bridge. At noon my front at Madam Porter's bridge was cleared of the enemy, and I was prepared to cross the Teche. Meantime the enemy had advanced to destroy a bridge about a mile farther down. This had been prevented by our cavalry up to this time, when I moved some infantry and artillery down to hold the bridge. I kept possession of both these bridges. I did not advance over the, in obedience of the orders of the brigadier-general commanding the division, but held these positions while my command was supplied with two days' rations. At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy having previously threatened to flank my position at the lower bridge by crossing a portion of his force at a bridge lower down, and having relinquished the attempt, he

disappeared entirely from my front at both