officers and men, and their unconquerable determination to open the way for those coming after them. Admitting no impossibilities, the command continued slowly to move forward, some corduroying in advance, others relieving the animals and bringing up the wagons and artillery, and all cheerfully doing what was allotted to facilitate our progress or render our advance possible. Such united effort, such herculean tasks so effectually performed, and such cheerful endurance of incessant toil, fatigue, and exposure has rarely been equaled and never excelled. Nor was the work suspended by darkness. On either side of the road is a pitch-pine forest, or turpentine orchard, which had been duly tapped, and the trees being lighted furnished long lines of illumination, by the light of which the work was continued during the night by a portion of the command. Having extended the command several miles along the road, corduroying and bridging, Colonel Bertram's brigade, being in advance, at length reached the East Fork of Fish River. I ordered him to push on to Dannelly's Mills with his brigade, and there communicate with Major-General Canby, which he did; and I closely followed, with the Third Division, arriving at the latter place on the 23rd of march. Two brigades crossed the river and encamped in line of battle on the right of the Sixteenth Army Corps. My First Brigade encamped on the south side of the river. At this point Colonel Bertram, pursuant to orders from the corps commander, ceased to report to me. March 25, at 3 p.m., my division moved with the army toward Spanish Fort, and encamped the evening of the 26th near the enemy's works, in line of battle, and threw up temporary defenses.

On the morning of the 27th, pursuant to orders from the corps commander, I moved my division forward in column of brigades, right in front, the brigades being in column of regiments. I held the right of the Thirteenth Army Corps, connecting with Brigadier-General Veatch, First Division, Thirteenth Army Corps, on my left, and with the Sixteenth Army Corps on my right. Arriving near the enemy's works I found Brigadier-General Slack's brigade, and passing his works, deployed my division in plain view and within half a mile of the enemy's works. Colonel Grier, commanding First Brigade, by my direction deployed a regiment as skirmishers, who found the enemy's skirmishers immediately in my front, and promptly drove them to the cover of their rifle-pits, near their works. My batteries were advanced to commanding positions upon spurs extending toward the enemy, and were, I believe, the first to open fire upon him. By my orders they kept up a steady and well-directed fire during the day, and at 2 p.m. were advanced to the positions they afterward held during the entire siege. My division was also advanced to within a few hundred yards of the works to the position held by its main line until the evacuation, and nearer, I believe, than any other troops approached that day, and with comparatively very few casualties. My line as finally established was by inversion of brigades. My division promptly covered its front by works of considerable strength, my skirmish line was advanced during the night, and my batteries strengthened.

The history of the operations of my command from this time until the evacuation of the enemy shows a sleepless vigilance, a routine of incessant toil in the trenches night and day, a gradual and sure approach to the enemy's works by means of the pick and spade, the digging of saps and parallels, the construction of batteries, making of