to the defense of the city of Harrisburg, the capital of the State of Pennsylvania . By direction and orders of Major-General Sandford, the Seventy-first Regiments of the First Brigade was attached to my command, to participate in the expedition . These five regiments promptly responded to Your Excellency's orders. The Seventh, Eight, Thirty-seventh, and Seventy-first Regiments left the city of New York on the 16th, 17th, and 18th days of June ; the Fifty-fifth Regiment left on the 24th. I reached the place of destination on the morning of the 20th of June, and reported to General Couch, who had command of all the military concentrated at that point, acting under orders from the authorities at Washington . On the arrival of the Seventh and Fifty-fifth Regiments at the city of Philadelphia, the were met by orders from general headquarters, detaching them from my command . They were, by those orders, attached to the Third Army Corps of the Army of the Potomac . On my arrival at Harrisburg, I found that the Eight and Seventy-first Regiments had been placed under the command of General Knipe, of the U. S. Volunteer service, and had been ordered to the front . I was placed immediately in command of all the regiments detailed to the fortifications at Bridgeport, on the opposite side of the Susquehanna River, or rather on the river opposite the city of Harrisburg. In this force was included the Eleventh, Twenty-second, and Thirty-seventh Regiments, one company of the Eight Regiment, and two companies of the Fourth Regiment of Artillery, all from the city of New York, also five regiments from the city of Brooklyn. The Eleventh and Twenty-second Regiments were commanded by Brigadier-General Ewen; those from Brooklyn were under the command of Brigadier-Generals Crooke and Smith . My first order was to send out pickets to a distance of 5 miles, making a crescent form of 15 miles, to avoid a surprise by the enemy in our rear ; this duty was assigned to the Thirty-seventh Regiment. On the 25th, I received an order to send two regiments to Marysville, about 8 miles up the river, to report to General Yates. I sent the Thirteenth, and Twenty-eight, of the Fifth Brigade . On the 26th, Brigadier-General Crooke, of that brigade reported for duty . I directed him to report to General Yates, at Marysville, where is command had been sent . On the 28 th, General Crooke returned with his brigade, and was quartered in the fort. On the 27th, the Thirty-seventh Regiment was directed to proceed to the front under the command of Brig. General W. F. Smith, of the U. S. Volunteers, with the Eleventh and Twenty-second Regiments, under the command of Brigadier-General Ewen. Brig. General J. C. Smith, of Brooklyn, arrived with the Twenty-third, Fifty-second, and Fifty-sixth Regiments, reported and was sent to the front under the command of Brig. General W. F. Smith . During our encampment, the Thirty-seventh, Thirteenth, Twenty-eight, and several other regiments worked on the defenses in the two forts on the heights, one of which was called Fort Washington, the other named Fort Couch . On the 3rd day, of July, I received a verbal order from General Couch to proceed forthwith to the front with the Fifth Brigade. Accordingly, I directed Brigadier-General Crooke to order his brigade to be in readiness to leave immediately. We broke camp about 2 o'clock in the morning, and took the cars for Carlisle, where we arrived at 7 a. m. While preparing to leave for Chambersburg, I