Early in the morning of the 17th the picket reported the evacuation of their main line by the enemy and their occupation of the same. Soon after the brigade with its division moved four miles and a half or five miles to Averasborough and remained during the day and night. The Twentieth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Buckingham, was sent one mile and a half on the Raleigh road to hold and picket the same. The Twenty-sixth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Winkler commanding, was sent at the same time on the Smithville road to hold and picket the same. On the 18th moved on a by-road and crossed Black River and moved on as rear guard to the corps, and reaching the wagons at 9 p. m., marched all night, and in the morning of the 19th rested for a few hours, and at 9 a. m. started, covering wagons moving on the Bentonville road. At 11. 30 a. m. my brigade received orders to leave the wagons and move on to the front seven miles, where the enemy had been met in force by the Fourteenth Corps. This brigade, by rapid marching, reached the field early in the p. m., and was massed in rear of the batteries, in rear of the First Division of this corps. At about 3 p. m. I received an order from the brevet Major-general commanding the corps, through Lieutenant-Colonel Asmussen, to move my brigade to the right and report to Brevet Major-General Davis, commanding Fourteenth Corps, Colonel Asmussen saying that he would report my order to my division commander. Moving by the flank to the front and right, I was informed by Major-General Slocum that a staff officer of the Fourteenth Corps, who was then present, would conduct me to my position. By this officer I was informed that owing to some confusion a gap was left in the Fourteenth Corps between the left of General Morgan's division and parts of General Carlin's division, and this gap it was desired I should fill. Following by the flank in the direction pointed out to me by General Davis, whom I met as soon as I had passed beyond the right of the Twentieth Corps, for the purpose of forming my line, I struck my flank upon two rebel lines that were passing up the gap for the purpose of turning the left of General Morgan's division. Gaining quickly my proper front, and retiring a Little my right, I remained with four regiments in line and two in reserve in column in rear of right and left, respectively, until I had ascertained by skirmishers where I was. Finding that I, too, had struck the enemy's flank, I moved forward about 100 yards, through dense swamps, cutting off parts of two rebel regiments, which fell as prisoners into the hands of the Fourteenth Corps, and pressing back the enemy until he formed in my front in two lines, on the outside of a swamp in the middle of which my line was. Here the brigade became hotly engaged until 8. 30 o'clock that night, when the two lines of the enemy withdrew, leaving his dead and wounded in our hands. I then withdrew my line to the inner side of the swamp and strengthened it. The men slept on their arms. The loss in the engagement was: Killed-enlisted men, 11. Wounded-commissioned officers, 7; enlisted men, 106.

On the morning of the 20th was relieved by a brigade of the Fourteenth Corps, Brevet Brigadier-General Hobart commanding, and then moved back to camp, where I had massed the p. m. before in rear of batteries. On p. m. of 20th moved to the extreme left of the line about one mile and fortified. On the morning of the 21st, with Twenty-sixth Wisconsin, Lieutenant-Colonel Winkler commanding, and Thirty-third Massachusetts Infantry, Lieutenant-Colonel Doane commanding, and the picket-line of the brigade, moved out a mile to the front, drew a few shots from the enemy, but gained no important information. On