cheering. They were driven back on the left by our skirmishers, but the fight was more stubborn on the right, which was their main point of attack. The Eighteenth Twenty-eighth, and left wing of the Thirty-third engaged them there, and gallantly drove them back, although they had outflanked us, and encountered the two right companies of the Twenty-eighth, which had been deflected in anticipation of such a movement. A subsequent attack made about half an hour later was similarly repulsed. The Twenty-eighth captured a staff officer. The colors of the Third Maine Volunteers were taken by Captain [Niven] Clark's company of the same regiment. The Eighteenth also captured an aide to General [A. S.] Williams. A number of field and company officers and a large number of men were captured along our whole line. After the enemy were repulsed, General McGowan was ordered forward with his brigade, and took position on our right.

On Sunday morning, about sunrise, the whole brigade was wheeled a little to the left, that the line might be perpendicular to the Plank road, and then, in obedience to orders, moved gallantly forward, with shouts, driving in the enemy's skirmishers, and handsomely charging and carrying their breastworks. The left of the Thirty-seventh passed entirely over the works, capturing a number of prisoners, and the gallant old Seventh eclipsed all of its former glories. These works were on a hill commanded by the Chancellorsville Hill, which was fortified with a line of earthworks for twenty-eight pieces of artillery, running nearly parallel to our position, and between 400 and 500 yards distant, with a stream of water intervening. As soon as we had dislodged their infantry, these guns, with others, opened a murderous fire of shell, grape, and canister upon us, a fresh column of their infantry was thrown against us, and, with our right flank completely turned, we were forced to fall back, with the loss of about one-third of the command.

The Twenty-eighth Regiment, commanded by its gallant young colonel, [Samuel D.] Lowe, fell back a few hundred yards, and was ordered to give assistance wherever needed, while I superintended the reforming of the rest of the brigade still farther to the rear. Colonel Lowe informs me that the Twenty-eighth behaved well throughout the remainder of the day, and that it made two more charges under heavy artillery firing, and was led in each by Major-General Stuart.

As soon as the rest of the brigade was reformed and replenished with ammunition, they were taken back into the woods to the left of the Plank road, to the support of General Colquitt's command, which was then nearly out of ammunition. The woods which we entered were on fire; the heat was excessive; the smoke arising from burning blankets, oilcloths, & c., very offensive. The dead and dying of the enemy could be seen on all sides enveloped in flames, and the ground on which we formed was so hot as at first to be disagreeable to our feet. Nothing daunted, however, the men took their positions without a murmur, and notwithstanding their previous hard marching, desperate fighting, and sleepless nights, remained under arms again the whole of Sunday night in the front line, while heavy skirmishing was going on. Never have I seen men fight more gallantly and bear fatigue and hardship more cheerfully. I shall always feel proud of the noble bearing of my brigade in the battle of Chancellorsville - the bloodiest in which it has over taken a part - where the Thirty-third discharged its duty so well as skirmishers, and, with the Eighteenth and Twenty-eighth, gallantly repulsed two night attacks made by vastly superior numbers, and where the Seventh and Thirty-seventh vied with each other as to who should first drive the vandals from their works.