and received my orders from General Slocum. He told me I was to cover the right, posting my command near Hunting Creek. General Slocum gave me to understand that he would take care of the entire front from Chancellorsville to my position; but afterward one of his division commanders sent me word that I would have to take about three-fourths of a mile of the front, so as to connect with General Slocum's right, as ordered. This I did, and located my command with reference to an attack from the front in a direction perpendicular to the Plank road; also from the right along the Plank and old Turnpike roads. My right rested in the vicinity of the point marked "mill" on the map;* but no mill was in existence. I sent a force of two companies to the point where the Ely's Ford road crosses Hunting Creek. At this point General Pleasonton had a force of cavalry and some artillery. My corps was distributed as follows: The First Division occupied the right; the First Brigade, Colonel von Gilosa, deployed two regiments and two companies of another nearly at a right angle with the old range Court-House turnpike, and to the north of it the rest of the First Division, extending along this turnpike, deployed, with two regiments in reserve, and the Third Division, General Schurz, prolonged this line eastward, facing south-southeast. He had three regiments of General Schimmelfennig's brigade deployed and two regiments in reserve. He had also two regiments of Colonel Krzyzanowski's brigade in the front line and two regiments in reserve. On the proper front, General Steinwehr, commanding Second Division, had two regiments deployed and two in reserve-all of Colonel Buschbeck's brigade.

On the morning of May 2, General Birney had relieved a portion of General Steinwehr's division from the front line, viz, General Barlow's brigade. This I placed in position for a general reserve of the corps. The artillery was disposed as follows: Two pieces near General Devens' (First Division) right, enfilading old turnpike; the rest of Dieckmann's battery on the left of General Devens, covering approaches along the Plank road. Four guns of Wiedrich's battery were placed near Steinwehr's right, and two guns near his left, covering approaches from the front. Dilger's battery was posted near the intersection of the turnpike and the Plank road. Three batteries were in reserve, and so placed as to be used on any of the approaches. Our front was covered with rifle-pits and abatis.

On Friday, May 1, at 12 m., I received the order to march along the Plank road toward Fredericksburg, and take position 1 mile in rear of the Twelfth Corps. We had hardly left camp before the order was countermanded, and we resumed the old position.

Early Saturday morning, General Hooker visited my corps and rode along my front lines. At one point a regiment was not deployed and at another a gap in the woods was not filled. The correction was immediately made and the position strengthened. The front was covered by a good line of skirmishers.

I should have stated that, just at evening of May 1, the enemy made a reconnaissance on our front with a small force of artillery and infantry. General Schimmelfennig moved out with a battalion and drove him back.

During Saturday, the 2nd, the same general made frequent reconnaissances. Infantry scouts and cavalry patrols were constantly pushed out on every road. The unvarying report was, "The enemy is crossing the Plank road and moving toward Culpeper."

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*See opposite page.

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