simultaneously, which they did at the command from me. The skirmishers took their position, the front line advancing to the bank of the river; the batteries took their places, and the pontoons descended the hill, accompanied by the men who were to cross the river in them, On reaching the river, the pontoons were immediately launched, and the party that crossed ascended the opposite bank, pushing the enemy's skirmishers before them with little firing. The crossing party was over at half past 12.

The bridge was commenced while the crossing was going on in boats, and the crossing in pontoons was stopped by me the moment Captain Turnbull notified me that it would interfere with the construction of the bridge. There was some delay in the construction of the bridge, owing to not having boats enough, and it was necessary to add a trestle for want of a boat. At 4 o'clock, however, the bridge being completed, my division crossed upon it, and advanced along the road for the purpose of giving space for the remainder of the corps and the Sixth Corps on the farther bank. This was the extent of my orders.

Being in command of the advance, and having no guide, I conceived it to be my duty to exert my judgment as to the route, and by reconnoitering to clear up the way if I could. This I succeeded in doing by always holding the forks of roads which I came to, and reconnoitering away from them, always reconnoitering with the most strength toward the enemy. On arriving at the first left- hand fork this evening, it being already sunset, I determined to bivouac there, and as the road had proceeded up the Rapidan and diagonally away from it, I considered it as running directly toward the enemy's strong position, and as I saw signs of an opening ahead, I went toward it to reconnoiter with the extreme advance. Coming in sight of the opening, a little fusilade came down the road, and I deployed the Twenty- sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and ordered them to advance into the opening. They drove parties of cavalry before them, and I got upon a hill near the first house we had yet reached, to make some observations. While I was doing so, it became dark, and I gave orders for the column to get back into the woods to camp. I now ascertained that the Third Division had closed up to my column, and I sent word to General Carr that, as I intended to camp in the woods, it would be necessary for him to give way for the length of one brigade.

The distance which I had reconnoitered from the forks was half a mile, and no delay to the Third Corps column was occasioned by it. I picketed the road all night as far as I went on it, picketed the other road about the same distance out, and made my own fire in the apex of the angle of the forks. I was notified from corps headquarters that it was very desirable to communicate by means of my pickets with the Second Corps and I explained the impossibility of this in reply. The road from Jacobs' Mills to my bivouac had traveled away from the position of the Second Corps, and the shortest way, and only one known to me, to communicate with the Second Corps was via the route I had marched out.

After dark that evening a company of cavalry, under Captain Ford, had reported to me. No use could be made of them in the night under the circumstances excepting for messengers and pickets and patrols. Consequently want of knowledge of the route must be considered as having delayed the communication in this direction with the Second Corps till morning.