and the creek west of Corinth, where the enemy's outposts were driven in with little or no resistance-this brigade first formed line of battle to the east of Cypress Creek, with Rust's brigade on its right and Villepigue's the left, a heavy line of skirmishers, composed of the First Missouri Regiment and the Mississippi battalion of sharpshooters, proceeding in advance, supported by the Twenty-second and Fifteenth Mississippi Regiments in line, and the Sixth Mississippi Regiment (Colonel Lowry) and Watson Battery (Captain Bursley) in reserve. The line advanced steadily, forcing back the enemy's sharpshooters into their entrenchments, and pushing on charged their works, capturing their battery at the salient near the railroad and driving their entire infantry force from the trenches. Rust and vilepigue carrying the trenches in front of them about the same time rendered the work comparatively easy for my brigade.

The Twenty-second Mississippi Regiment Captain Lester commanding, deserve special mention for their gallant charge on this occasion. The Mississippi battalion of sharpshooters, Captain Caruthers commanding, were conspicuous for their coolness and courage; also for joining the Twenty-second Mississippi Regiment in the charge in which they captured battery. The First Missouri Regiment, gathering in charged while deployed as skirmishers and drove the enemy from the trenches before I could reach the position with the Fifteenth Mississippi Regiment, which was advancing toward the same point. The First Missouri Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel Riley commanding, proceeding onward, drove the enemy from one of their encampments nearly a mile inside of their works, holding the same under fire until the second line of battle was formed toward sunset for the attack on the right. The enemy having abandoned the works on our right, the second line above alluded to advance and occupied their encampments, capturing a few stragglers in the evening.

On the morning of the 4th the brigade was formed, in accordance with instructions received the night before, immediately in advance of the encampment occupied, and advanced steadily, with Villepigue on its left and Rust in reserve, the whole moving together. Arriving within 600 yards of a strong redoubt, supported on the right and left by a similar work, with a formidable line of infantry intrenched connecting them, it was halted and after a protracted skirmish, which failed to develop the enemy's strength on the position, I determined, in absence of the major-general commanding, to feel them more effectually and force them to show their strength. The Watson Battery (four guns) was ordered to open upon the work immediately in our front, and during the second round was answered by a terrific cannonade from, the right left, and front, convincing me that the information given that there were only three at this point was erroneous, as I had thus developed at least twenty. The battery was ordered to the rear, and after the firing slightly I moved the brigade a short distance to the rear near Rust's line, in order to take advantage of the ground and save it from a repetition of the galling fire which had been opened upon them.

The brigade loss during this shelling was about 50 men killed and wounded, and the whole command deserves special commendation for their coolness under fire.

After remaining some two hours in the new position, our skirmishers keeping up a continuous fire on our front and right, and after Villepigue had repelled the attack made on his line and moved to the left, my brigade was ordered to the rear, while Rust formed line of battle beyond,