Here the fighting just previous to our arrival had been terrible. My regiment held the front line, when a lieutenant of Battery LA, Fourth U. S. Artillery, asked me to draw his pieces to the rear, to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy, he having only 6 men and 3 horses left that were not disabled. The request was promptly complied with, and the battery removed to the rear, under cover of a hill. Later in the day, another battery was placed in the position of the one removed by my regimen. We lay in this position during the night of the 3d, and on the morning of the 4th were ordered by Colonel Lakeman to move forward across a field to the Emmitsburg road, where we lay in line of battle, with a line of our skirmishers advanced, during the day and until 10 o'clock at night, when we were ordered by Colonel Lakeman to fall back and bivouac for the night in rear of a line of the Second Army Corps. On the morning of the 5th, I was ordered to move with the brigade to about the same position we occupied on the morning of the 2nd before being engaged with the enemy; there we remained during the day. In closing my report, it affords me no small degree of pleasure to be able do say that all of my command behaved nobly, standing unmoved under the enemy's fire and resisting superior numbers with spirit and determination. I cannot speak too highly of the manner in which the officers of my command acted, without exception gallantly and efficiently performing every duty assigned them. I lament to say that First Lieutenant John R. Nice, commanding Company H, a brave, efficient, and gallant officer, was mortally wounded in the action of the 2d, and died 102 enlisted men reported killed, wounded, and missing, whose names have been reported in the list of casualties. * The courageous conduct of Color Sergt. Harvey M. Munsell, and the manner in which he bore the regimental colors during the conflict, has induced me to make special mention of his case as one worthy of the most decided approval.

Respectfully submitted.

JOHN W. MOORE,

Major, Comdg. Ninety-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers.

Captain JOHN M. COONEY,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 149. Report of Colonel Hiram Berdan, First U. S. Sharpshooters, commanding First and Second U. S. Sharpshooter.

HEADQUARTERS FIRST U. S. SHARPSHOOTERS, July 29, 1863.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of the Sharpshooters at the battle near Gettysburg: On the morning of July 2, I received instructions from the divis-

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*Embodied in revised statement, p. 177.

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