Communication was opened with the enemy by flag of truce, and, in accordance with instructions from General Lee, they were allowed to remove all their wounded, and also the bodies of several of their officers who had fallen in the battle.

These duties being completed, the two brigades above mentioned returned to the neighborhood of Hamilton's Crossing, and I returned to the command of my own brigade on the 20th instant.

Where all did their duty so well and so completely, it becomes impossible to mention all those who exhibited great gallantry. That the troops of this division did perform their duty well and completely is evidenced by the bloody roll of the killed and wounded. Two hundred and sixty-seven killed and 1,592 wounded-making 1,859 casualties, not counting the very slightly wounded-in a division which went into action with little more than 6,000 men, is a larger percentage than that of any other division in the late battle.

Although placed in second line at the commencement of the action, it is an indubitable fact that before it had progressed many minutes, both on Saturday and Sunday, the troops of this division had passed into and repeatedly through and beyond the first line. And, without any desire to detract from the just fame of other commands, I feel confident that much of the credit due to the prowess of Trimble's division has been attributed to others. The unusual proportion of officers who fell; the fact that the four brigades lost 8 brigade commanders, 3 of them killed and the rest disabled, and that out of 6 members of the division staff 1 was killed and 2 were wounded-all this shows that all, of every rank, bore their part well in this great battle. I cannot, however, close this report without mentioning more particularly, first, the names of some of the most prominent of the gallant dead: Paxton, Garnett, and Walker died heroically at the head of their brigades. The chivalrous [W.] Duncan McKim, of General Trimble's staff, fell while conducting re-enforcements to repel the enemy. Major Stover, of the Tenth Virginia, Lieutenant-Colonel Legett, Tenth Louisiana, and many others, fell to rise no more. Colonel Warren, Tenth Virginia, Colonel T. V. Williams, Thirty-seventh Virginia, and Lieutenant-Colonel Thruston. Third North Carolina, wounded while commanding the Third Brigade, deserve special mention for their gallantry. Also Colonel Funk, Fifth Virginia; Colonel Vandeventer, Fiftieth Virginia; Lieutenant-Colonel Brown, First North Carolina, and Colonel J. M. Williams, Tenth Louisiana, on whom the command of the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Brigades devolved, respectively. Lieutenant-Colonel [R. W.] Withers, Forty-second Virginia; Major [Oscar] White, Forty-eighth Virginia; Captain [T. R.] Buckner, Forty-fourth Virginia; Captain [J. B.] Moseley, Twenty-first Virginia; Major [L. J.] Perkins and Captain [F. W.] Kelly, commanding Fiftieth Virginia, and Captain Samuel J. C. Moore, assistant adjutant-general to Jones' brigade, are mentioned for gallant conduct by their brigade commanders. Also Lieutenant C. S. Arnall, acting assistant adjutant-general of Paxton's brigade, and Captain Henry Kyd Douglas, inspector of this brigade, to whose gallantry and good conduct I am also an eye-witness. Colonel J. K. Edmondson, of the Twenty-seventh Virginia, severely wounded at the head of his regiment, also deserves special mention.

Of the conduct of the division staff I cannot speak too highly. Major Alfred Hoffman and Mr. Charles Grogan were both severely wounded while nobly discharging their duties. Captain W. Carvel Hall, assistant adjutant-general, was not only conspicuous for his gallantry, but discharged the arduous duties of his position both during and after the