In compliance with further instructions from Lieutenant Miller, I sent Lieutenant-Colonel Hammell, Sixty-sixth New York Volunteers, to a point on the road where he could witness the engagement, directing him to notify me the moment our forces fell back and left the breastworks. A few minutes after, Lieutenant-Colonel Hammell informed me that our troops had left the breastworks and were falling back. I now gave the order for the right to commence falling back, and at the same time directed major Nelson, Sixty-sixth New York Volunteers, to see that the movement was promptly and properly followed up by the left of his regiment, and also to notify the detachment of the One hundred and forty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, next adjoining, on his left, that the movement was about to be commenced, and to fall back at the same time. Major Nelson did this, and, as the Sixty-sixth moved across the road, the line commanded by Colonel Bostwick, including the Twenty-seventh Connecticut Volunteers, a few men of the Sixty-fourth new York Volunteers, still on the line, and the detachment of the One hundred and forty-fifth Pennsylvania, moved out of the entrenchments to the rear, according to my instructions. As the pickets commenced retiring through the woods, a terrific fire of shrapnel was poured in upon our flank from the direction of the Chancellor hoise, and continued during the whole time they were retiring, and until they reached the breastworks in front of the white house. It was very destructive to our men, who fell in every direction. It caused considerable confusion along the whole line. many of the men, in order to avoid the shelling, moved off in a direction opposite to that from which it proceeded, and directly toward the enemy's line. I used every effort to keep the line moving on in the right direction, and finally succeeded in bringing it in at the breastworks in front and on the left of the white house.

The following wee the regiments and detachments posted on the picket line under my command: Two companies of the One hundred and fortieth Pennsylvania Volunteers, the Sixty-sixth New York Volunteers, three companies of the One hundred and forty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, the Sixty-fourth New York Volunteers, the Twenty-seventh Connecticut Volunteers, six companies of the One hundred and forty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and a detachment of the Sixty-first new York Volunteers, all of which came in at the breastworks except a large portion of the Twenty-seventh Connecticut Volunteers and a part of the detachment of the One hundred and forty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers, who were driven into the enemy's lines by the shelling while retiring through the woods.

Very respectfully,

ORLANDO H. MORRIS,

Colonel Sixty-sixth Regiment New York Volunteers.

Lieutenant J. M. FAVILLE,

A. D. C. and A. A. A. G., 3rd Brigadier, 1st Div., 2nd Army Corps.

Numbers 77. Report of Colonel John R. Brooke, Fifty-third Pennsylvania Infantry, commanding Fourth Brigade.

CAMP NEAR FALMOUTH, VA., May 7, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to make the following report of the operations of my brigade during the recent movements:

On the evening of April 30, we crossed the Rappahannock at the head