The Third Brigade of the First Division lay immediately in front of the two redoubts, and their formation was as follows: The Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers were on the left of the line; on their right was the Fifth Wisconsin Volunteers, and on the right of the Fifth Wisconsin extended the One hundred and nineteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers. The remaining regiment of this brigade, the Sixth Maine, was in line about 200 yards in front of the center of the brigade line, and about 2 p. m. the skirmishers of the Forty-ninth, who had been on duty for several hours, were relieved by five companies of the Sixth Maine-A, F, D, I, and C-under command of Major Fuller, of the Sixth Maine.

At 2.30 p. m. the skirmish line was ordered to advance. The advance was made in gallant style, and driving in the skirmishers of the enemy, our skirmish line at once occupied and held a position at the foot of the hill, upon which were situated the two redoubts before described, covering also some hundred yards of the rifle-pit, running from the left of the larger redoubt. Already General Howe's skirmishers had driven the enemy form a hill extending parallel to the railroad, and just to the right of the position occupied by this division. Upon the hill, about three-quarters of a mile from the enemy's works, were then planted Waterman's and Martin's battery and four 20-pounder Parrott guns from the Artillery Reserve. About 4 o'clock a battery from the Fifth Corps was put into position on the edge of a piece of woods to the left of and running parallel with the railroad. The position of this battery, commanding admirable range of the rebel fortifications, and about half a mile distant from them, was skillfully chosen, and the fire was rapid and exceeding accurate.

At sundown, after carefully considering the relative positions and the well-known character of my troops, it was my desire to storm the enemy's position, and a message was sent through his assistant adjutant-general, Captain Henry R. Dalton, to Brigadier General H. G. Wright, commanding the corps, asking permission to do so. That permission was granted and Captain Dan. Packard, senior aide-de-camp upon my staff, was sent back to order forward the brigade.

The remaining five companies of the Sixth Maine, on the left of the Fifth Wisconsin, constituted the first line of the advancing column, and the Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers, on the left of the One hundred and nineteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, formed the rear line. Thus they advanced to the foot of a hill, distant from the river about 1,500 yards. Here the order was given to deploy the remaining five companies of the Sixth Maine to double the skirmish line, and with that formation and the Fifth Wisconsin as a support, to make a charge upon the enemy's works.

Upon the command "forward, double-quick," the skirmish line, with their support, dashed on in a style never surpassed by any troops. The ground was of a nature well calculated to check the storming column encountered a formidable ditch, 12 or 14 feet wide, some 6 feet deep,. and filled with mud and water to an average dept of 3 feet. Crossing this they came to a plain broken with stumps and underbrush, while before the skirmish line in the advance could be reached, a dry moat or ditch had to be crossed, nearly as formidable as the obstacles already passed.

But over every hinderance, in face of a heavy fire of musketry and artillery, the storming party pressed on with bayonets fixed and