advance. On the afternoon of the 7th I sent forward the Fifty-second Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry and Battalion of Fifty-eighth Illinois Veteran Volunteers to relieve the Eleventh Wisconsin and One hundred and seventy-eighth New York Volunteers, leaving one company of the Eleventh Wisconsin on the left as sharpshooters. The Seventeenth Ohio Battery having been ordered to report to me, I commenced at dark building a work for their guns on the right of my line. About midnight the enemy opened with artillery in my front and kept up a severe fire for about two hours. They at the same time advanced a strong line of skirmishers on my right with the evident intention of capturing my advanced works. My men allowed them to come up within about forty yards of their works when they opened fire on them. They evidently were not anticipating so bold a front, and rapidly retreated to their works with a loss of 15 killed and 22 wounded. During the day of the 8th instant the enemy kept up a continuous fire from their artillery on my line, but did no damage. At 5 p.m. I moved forward the Thirty-fourth New Jersey Volunteers, and relieved the Fifty-second Indiana and Fifty-eighth Illinois, and during the night completed the fort for the Seventeenth Ohio Battery and moved their guns, in with instructions to open on the enemy at daylight of the 9th, but the enemy did not seem anxious to draw our fire and only fired at long intervals. During the afternoon of the 9th I was sent for by the general commanding Second Division, and there met General Gilbert and Colonel Rinaker, brigade commanders of this division and General Veatch, commanding a division of the Thirteenth Army Corps, and it was then decided that this division should move on the enemy's works in two lines, with a strong line of skirmishers in advance at 5.30 p.m. in the following order: First Brigade, Third Brigade, Second Brigade, with Veatch's division on our right as a support. At 5 p.m. I moved my brigade into our works, putting the Eleventh Wisconsin Veteran Volunteer Infantry, One hundred and seventy-eighth New York Volunteer Infantry, and Battalion Fifty-eighth Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry in the front line, with the Thirty-fourth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry and Fifty-second Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry as the second line. At 5.45 o'clock I received an order from Brigadier-General Garrard to advance my skirmish line (the First Brigade not moving promptly), which was promptly moved forward, and I immediately after started my first line, which moved as rapidly as the nature of the ground would admit, it being covered with fallen timber and two lines of abatis over a distance of 450 yards, on the left and 600 yards on the right, and although exposed to a galling fire of grape, canister, and musketry on the left, flank and front, my first line soon reached and carried the enemy's works. The Eleventh Wisconsin Veteran Volunteer Infantry having the shortest distance to go, first entered their works, and fighting hand to hand succeeded in breaking their lines (rebel officers and men captured give that regiment this credit), the One hundred and seventy-eighth New York Volunteer Infantry, and Fifty-eighth Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry following close up, rendering good service. When the first line got near the enemy's works the second line was ordered to move forward which they did without loss. Immediately after occupying the works I collected my brigade together and sent out detachments to collect prisoners, the result of which was the capture of 30 officers, 505 enlisted men, 3 cannon, 156 muskets, 6 ammunition chests filled with ammunition, 1 blacksmith shop, and a large quantity of cartridge-boxes, belts, plates, &c. I cannot speak too highly of the conduct of both officers and men of my command. Where all behaved so well it is hard to make any distinction, but I cannot