April. At this time we heard the guns four or five miles off at Spanish Fort. My division had marched (that and the colored division constituting the infantry of Steele's column) from Pensacola along the Escambia and up around the headwaters of the Perdido, moving upon Blakely via stockton. One brigade of my division was the only infantry hat entered Pollard (March 26). The country is generally level, covered with pine timber, and though for light teams the roads would be considered fair, and were actually represented good by citizens of the country acquainted with them, yet after artillery and a few teams had passed, the rest of the train would sink in. So we had to corduroy the road, literally, for miles continuously. The two brigades of my division must have made fifteen miles of such road. Nevertheless we made average marches or exceeded average marches of a campaign. The country through which we passed was extremely thinly settled, the people poor. Arriving in front of Blakely on the 2nd of April, after personally examining the ground before the enemy's works, I deployed four regiments as skirmishers, having the first night to hold a line two miles long. I ought here to say that Blakely is not a town, being simply a landing with a few buildings. Leaving the river and coming up from the landing the ground is rather uneven, and covered with hard wood and thick brush. there is a moderate rise for half a mile, when an eminence of perhaps 300 feet above the water is attained. Along this for two miles the enemy's breast-works were constructed, supported about every quartered of a mile by redoubts. For 600 yards or more in front of their works the tree s had been felled as an abatis. In my front the ground was rolling, with a few ravines, and besides the continuous line of abatis there were two additional lines and detached rifle-pits and breast-works. The ground upon which our forces first took position was favorable in respect to having the shelter of woods and an abundance of water. My division also had the advantage of ravines, some of which, however, were closely searched by the enemy's artillery fire. The center of my right was on the Stockton road. Looking from our line toward the enemy's works we could see nothing in rear of them but woods. The enemy exhibited great enterprise and sagacity in maintaining a brisk artillery fire, as well as from his sharpshooters, when all first took position to make us sit down as far off as possible. My line, the first night, was a little within 1,000 yards of his main line of works. We had but few spades to begin with, but these we kept busy. From the 2nd to the 9th instant my division worked day and night, and in the course of that time made three good lines for rifle-pits, or parallels (some eight feet side), comprising with the approaches 5,571 yards, besides four batteries for my light artillery. It appears to me the enemy was more enterprising than the besieged party usually is. His forts were well armed with superior guns of different caliber, and his guns were well served. He also fired heavy guns with effect from his gun-boats. Three successive nights he made sorties upon some part of my front, one morning at 3.30 a. m., the next at 5 a. m., and the succeeding morning at 1 a. m., but he did not surprise us. Day and night his artillery and sharpshooters were troublesome. But my loss up to the time of the assault was less than his in my own front, being about thirty idled and wounded. My men used their Vicksburg experience to advantage. The assault of the 9th instant, which resulted so gloriously, and which opened the gates of Mobile, was extemporaneous. It had been reported, on what was deemed good authority (though it turned doubt to be a mistake), that the enemy was evacuating Blakely, and that three