Benham, the Tenth Ohio ahead, led the column, and soon reached a camp which had been abandon, leaving some camp equipage and private baggage, which gave rise to the impression in the mind of the brigade commander that the enemy were in full retreat. Satisfied however, that we should find it was not so, I directed Brigadier-General Benham to move forward with his brigade slowly and cautiously into the woods, for the purpose of reconnoitering. He was directed to be very careful to feel the enemy closely, but not to engage him unless he saw an evident opening. Orders were dispatched to the other brigades to follow. The Tenth Ohio followed the road shown on the accompanying plan. The Thirteenth Ohio close up behind. The Twelfth Ohio, as soon as the head of it arrived at the woods at the deserted camp, as shown on the accompanying plan, was directed to take a beaten path leading to the left of the road, but apparently nearly parallel to it. Twenty-five minutes after the column left the deserted camp terrific volleys of musketry and the roar of the rebels' artillery told that we were upon them, and indicated the right of their position, a point to which the Twelfth Ohio was directed to proceed.

A message from General Benham reached me at the deserted camp, announced that an engagement had commenced, and that he wanted help. Having the Tenth and Thirteenth with him, McMillin's howitzer battery an two rifled cannon were sent forward to the head of the column, and he was informed that the Twelfth had been ordered to his left, on the right of the rebels' works. Orders were dispatched to hasten the coming up the Second and Third Brigades, under Colonels McCook and Scammon, and I proceeded to the head of the column to ascertain the position of the First Brigade and reconnoiter the rebels' works more closely. Arrived there, I found the tenth Ohio and the batteries in the position indicated on the accompanying plan, the Thirteenth and a portion of the Twelfth in the valley in the rear of the position marked twenty-eighth on this plan. I proceeded into the valley to examine the right of the rebels' position, and afterwards to the corn field, in the rear of which was the Tenth, to examine that portion of the rebels' works visible from that point. I then awaited report of a reconnoitering party which had gone through the woods still farther to the enemy's left, entirely invisible from our position. Heavy volleys of musketry and the discharge of artillery soon told that this party had made its appearance in front of an unknown part of the rebels' position. Meanwhile our skirmishers kept up a well-directed fire along the whole of the enemy's 's left, while Schneider's rifled battery, taking continued to play on the rebels' guns at the battery shown on the plan.

Meanwhile Colonel W. S. Smith, of the Thirteenth, and Captain Margedant, acting engineer, reported the practicability of reaching the rebels' extreme right, if not turning it. Orders were accordingly given that Colonel W. S. Smith, with the Thirteenth Ohio and four companies of the Twelfth, re-enforced by the Twenty-eighth from the Second Brigade, and four companies of the Twenty-third of the Third Brigade, which had been directed by Captain Margedant to reconnoiter the rebels' extreme right and had reached the position shown on the plan, to make the attack on that point. Lieutenant-Colonel Korff, with the Tenth and a portion of the Twelfth which had become detached from the remainder and passed over to our right, was directed to advance to the right of the corn field to attack the rebel center and left. (See plan.)

The storming column of eight companies of the Ninth and six companies of the Forty-seventh was formed in the position shown on the.