skirmish line in our front; the line of battle followed closely behind the skirmish line, and the enemy's fire being very heavy caused several casualties in my ranks before the regiment could fire. We advanced steadily, changing our lines and front several times, and drove the enemy toward a swamp. Firing was kept up on the picket-line all night, and the next morning we found the works of the enemy evacuated. In this affair my regiment lost 1 private killed and 1 officer (Captain Heinzmann) and 9 enlisted men wounded. Captain Heinzmann was in charge of the skirmishers from my regiment, and I cannot omit to mention the gallant conduct of this officer.

We camped the evening of the 17th about two miles from the battle-field. On the 18th, in the morning, we crossed Black River. The men had to wade through; the water was deep, reaching up to the belts and cartridge-boxes. We had to cross several broad and deep ponds that day and to repair the road all along, it being very badly cut up. In the evening we guarded a cross-roads leading to Smithfield, and were relieved by a brigade of the Third Division. We had a hard March. The regiment had to pull out a wagon which was stuck in the mud with ropes, by which we were detained two hours on the road. We got in camp at midnight. Marched again at 6 a.m. on the 19th ahead of the train, and corduroyed the road as we moved along. We heard heavy cannonading in our front. At about 1 p.m. we received orders to March forward without delay, and after a rapid March of about one hour and thirty minutes we arrived at a position about two miles from Bentonville, where the Fourteenth Corps was engaged with the enemy. The brigade was put in line, and your ordered me to form my regiment in column, in reserve of the left wing of the batteries. I saw the One hundred and forty-third New York Volunteers was also formed in reserve, ready to support the left wing and to cover the left flank of the brigade, if necessary. I only remained in this position a few minutes, when I was ordered to report to Colonel Hawley with my command and the One hundred and forty-third New York Volunteers. Captain Wallace, of your staff, directed me to the position of the Second Brigade. I reported to Colonel Hawley, who directed me to remain in reserve in the rear of the left of his brigade, and to be ready to move at a moment's notice to any part of his line. A few minutes after my men had stacked arms. Colonel Hawley ordered me to cross a ravine on my right as quick as possible and to take a position on the right of the Thirteenth New Jersey, which was on the other side of the ravine. Before I had reached the ravine I saw a great many men and officers coming out of the woods in the greatest confusion and disorder. It looked to me like a stampede. I brought my regiment forward in double-quick and formed a line on the right of the Thirteenth New Jersey. The broken remnants of the Second Brigade, First Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, kept coming, running in every direction, and after some hard work of myself and my officers we succeeded in rallying about fifty men, mostly belonging to the Thirteenth Michigan. I formed them in line with my regiment. In the meantime the rebels had followed closely and were near my line when I heard their shouts and noticed that their fire came directly in my right flank. I immediately changed my front, caused the Thirteenth New Jersey to do the same, and ordered the rear rank of my regiment to throw up a few fence rails as a rifle-pit, while the front rank stood ready to receive the advancing foe. Before our rifle-pits were ready the enemy attacked us, but a few well-aimed volleys drove him back in confusion. The line of battle in the woods in my front was perpen-