Thursday, May 7, the march was resumed, and at 4.30 p. m. of that day this brigade bivouacked near the Fitzhugh house, where the command still remains.

I cannot speak too highly of the conduct of the officers and men of my command during the movements above enumerated. They appeared to vie with each other in the discharge of the various duties assigned them, and I take great pleasure in alluding to their general efficiency and gallantry.

A list of the casualties has already been forwarded you.*

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WALTER PHELPS, JR.,

Colonel, Commanding.

Captain T. E. ELLSWORTH,

Aide-de-Camp and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 28. Report of Brigadier General Lysander Cutler, U. S. Army, commanding Second Brigade.

HDQRS. SECOND Brigadier, FIRST DIV., FIRST ARMY CORPS,
May 10, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to make the following report in relation to this command during the recent operations of the army against the enemy:

On the 28th ultimo, by orders from the general commanding the division, I broke camp at Belle Plain, and at 12 m. marched in the direction of the river, near the Fitzhugh house. Encamped in the woods 2 miles from the river.

At 1 a. m., on the 29th, moved forward to the river, arriving in the vicinity of the ferry at daylight, where I halted, deploying one regiment (the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania) as skirmishers to cover the movements of the Fourth Brigade in endeavoring to lay the pontoon bridges. Here the Fifty-sixth lost 2 killed and 8 wounded.

At about 10 o'clock the Fourth Brigade was sent across in boats, and cleared the rifle-pits of the enemy. My command at once moved the bridges down to the river, and in a very short time had them laid, when I moved my brigade over to the support of the Fourth Brigade, taking my position as ordered, my right resting near the Pratt house, my left extending toward the crossing, where it was soon joined by the First Brigade, the Third Brigade, Brigadier-General Paul, in my rear.

This position was maintained by me with no material change, except to throw up intrenchments for the protection of the men, until the morning of May 2, when, by orders, we withdrew from the trenches, and, under cover of the river bank, moved up to Sedgwick's bridges and joined the division on the road leading to Falmouth, when we took up the line of march for the United States Ford, in the vicinity of which we halted at 7.30 p. m.

Early the next morning we crossed the river, and moved forward to join the army near Chancellorsville. Arrived during the engagement of the Third Corps, and was immediately ordered into line as a support to General Sykes' Regulars, then holding the road from Chancellorsville to the Rapidan.

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*Embodied in revised statements, pp. 173, 174.

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