shooters, and, by order of General Robinson, I at once threw out skirmishers to meet them. The Twelfth Massachusetts volunteers and a detachment of the Ninetieth Pennsylvania Volunteers were ordered forward to drive them back, which was done promptly and with deserved credit to those engaged, moving steadily forward to a point where the ground sloped toward the enemy, through not without considerable loss, and there holding their position. Here it becomes my duty to report one officer of this command unfavorably-Major Northrup, commanding the Ninety-seventh New York Volunteers, who relieved the picket about 1 o'clock on the morning of the 4th, dropped his line back from the rest of the slope already mentioned some 15 rods (more or less) without being pressed, where I found his line just after daylight in the morning, he having left it and come in to inquire if it was not time for him to be relieved. I refused to relieve him until he re-established his line, which was done, but not without some work. I think it due to the 5th, when it was found the enemy had disappeared, and we shortly moved out of the entrenchments to the left, where we bivouacked for the night. A list, by name, of casualties has been preciously forwarded. *

The brigade went into the battle of the 1st instant with a few less than 1, 200, and lost, to the time of withdrawing from our last position taken, 645, the heavy loss being on the 1st instant.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant.

H. BAXTER,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Brigade.

Lieutenant S. M. MORGAN,

Acting Asst. Adjutant-General, Second Division.

Numbers 53. Report of Colonel Charles Wheelock, Ninety-seventh New York Infantry.

---, --, -, 1863.

CAPTAIN: In accordance with orders from brigade headquarters, I would respectfully report the part taken by the Ninety-seventh Regiment New York Volunteers in the battle of July 1, 2, and 3, at Gettysburg, Pa., to wit: On the morning of July 1, at 7 a. m., we left Emmitsburg, Md., reaching Gettysburg, Pa., at 1 p. m. same day, and immediately formed line of battle north of the town, on the flat, our line being parallel with the railroad. We soon changed our front, and took a position on the crest of the hill between the railroad and the road north of the town, about three-quarters of a mile from the town. I immediately sent out Companies A and F as skirmishers, and, within 30 yards of our front, receiving the enemy's fire, finding it proceeding from a stone wall and the embankment of the road, our skirmishers soon drove them from their position, but they soon returned with a full force, our skirmishers falling back to our line of battle, which

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*Embodied in revised statement, p. 174.

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