lines to the left, at right angles with the river. The prevailing fog slowly cleared away, and at 4 p.m., pursuant to orders received through Lieutenant Moale, aide-de-camp, I moved the brigade forward a distance of 300 yards, and changed front to the right, conforming to a similar movement of the first and the second lines of the division. At this time Meade's division passed my brigade and took position upon its left. The brigade lay upon its arms during the night.

At 10 o'clock the following morning (Saturday, December 13), pursuant to orders received through Captain Wood, assistant adjutant-general, I moved the brigade to the left about 400 yards, and then, changing direction to the right, advanced to the front, across a deep, wooded ravine and over an adjacent elevation of ground, to the Bowling Green turnpike. In effecting this movement the brigade was exposed to a sever fire of shell from the enemy's batteries, planted upon the wooded heights to the front,and, in order to avoid this fire, I made a considerable detour to the left, and succeeded in reaching the position assigned me with the loss of about 3 men wounded. I then deployed the One hundred and seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel McCoy, and the One hundred and Fifth Regiment New York Volunteers, Major Sharp commanding, in two parallel lines in a plowed field, between the turnpike and the heights to the front supporting Hall's battery and the left of the first and second lines of the division. I deployed the Sixteenth Regiment Maine Volunteers, Lieutenant-Colonel Tilden commanding; the Ninety-fourth Regiment New York Volunteers, Major Kress commanding, and the One hundred and fourth New York Volunteers, Colonel Prey, in three parallel lines, to the right and rear of Hall's battery. The men were ordered to lie down, and for several hours the brigade remained without loss under a severe and constant fire from the enemy's batteries.

At 1.30 p.m. the bridges of General Taylor and Colonel Lyle, comprising the first and second lines of the division, advanced in succession to the front, and opened a fire of musketry upon the enemy's position, in the wood skirting the base of the heights.

At 1.45 p.m. I received an order from General Gibbon in person to charge to the front with my brigade, storm the enemy's breastworks, and occupy his position. I at once deployed the One hundred and seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, the One hundred and fifth New York Volunteers, and the Sixteenth Maine Volunteers in line of battle, at double-quick, to the right of Hall's battery, and strengthened this line by deploying the Ninety-fourth New York Volunteers and One hundred and fourth New York Volunteers in its rear in two parallel lines, with intervals of 15 paces. Having unslung knapsacks and fixed bayonets, the brigade advanced to the front under a severe fire of the enemy's artillery and musketry, moving steadily across the plowed field and passing through the broken lines of the Second and Third Brigades, which, with the exception of the Twelfth Massachusetts Volunteers, Second Brigade, and the Eighty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers and Ninety-seventh New York Volunteers, Third Brigade, were retiring to the rear in confusion. On approaching the wood the enemy's position was first fully developed to my brigade, and consisted of the embankment and ditches of the Richmond railway, the approaches being rendered extremely difficult by several parallel ditches, or rifle-pits,and its rear protected by thick wood, sheltering infantry supports.

As the brigade arrived upon the ground previously occupied by the Second and Third Brigades, the fire of the enemy became so incessant and galling, and so many of my men fell killed or wounded, that the