from its effects. Not a man moved from his place until I received the order to withdraw my command. My brigade then marched out by the flank in perfect order after the Third Brigade, and, having formed in line near the Chancellor house, moved to the woods to the right and rear, where it was again under severe fire and suffered loss. After occupying various position,s I was ordered at 10 p. m. to take position on the road leading to the United States Ford, and to the left of the ground occupied by the Eleventh Corps.

During that night and the day following, I strengthened my position by a breastwork of logs and earth about 4 feet in height. The One hundred and twenty-fourth and One hundred and twenty-fifth Regiments Pennsylvania Volunteers were detached on the 4th instant from my command, and ordered to report General greene, commanding Third brigade, under whose orders they began a new line of intrenchments in the rear. The Fifth and Twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteers, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Crane, of the Seventh ohio, were posted in the trenches on the right of my remaining regimetns, the Twenty-ninth, One hundred and ninth, and One hundred and eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, and were placed under my command. An attack being momentarily expected, I made every effort to strengthen my position, and was ably seconded by the officers of my command, and especially by Lieutenant-Colonel Walker, of the One hundred and eleventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, whom I had detailed to assist me on the work. The breastwork was raised, and abatis constructed in front, guns brought forward to rake the slope leading up to our position, and such measures taken that I was satisfied that any force that the nature of the ground would allow the enemy to bring against us would meet with a certain and disastrous repulse. The men were confident of success, and were looking eagerly forward to the expected combat, when I received the order to hold myself in readiness to withdraw my command.

The artillery posted with us moved to the rear just after dusk on the 5th instant, and at 4 a. m. on the 6th I was ordered to march to the United States Ford. To the brigade was assigned the honorable duty of bringing up the rear of the corps, and to the Fifth Ohio Volunteers that of covering the retreat of the brigade, the pickets having to be withdrawn after daylight and in the face of the enemy.

It is but just to the men to say that their conduct could not have been better. Knowing as they did from the movement of the artillery that a retreat had been decided upon, and that they must rely entirely upon themselves, not a man left his place until the order was given to move, when they marched to and crossed the river in perfect order. Having crossed the Rappahannock, the brigade moved toward its present encampment, where it arrived at 4 p. m. on the 7th instant, having halted for the night about 6 miles beyond Stafford Court-House.

I cannot but express my thanks to both the officers and men of my command who endured the privations of the march in a manner that reflected credit upon them. It would be unfair to discriminate, and I can, therefore, only render this general tribute to their merit.

I am much indebted to Lieutenant-Colonel Crane, of the Seventh Ohio Volunteers, and to the officers and men of the Fifth and twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteers, for their able and zealous co-operation.

To the gentlemen of my staff I make my acknowledgment for the faithful manner in which they discharged their duties.

I cannot close this report without paying a slight tribute to the soldierly qualities of the officers whose loss I have to deplore. Colonel