o'clock, when a severe action with McCook's corps was commenced and in progress, and Gilbert's the supporting corps, in which he stated that his "children were all quiet and by sunset he would have them all in bed, nicely tucked up, as we used to do at Corinth"?

General BUELL. Mr. President, I object to that question in its present form; it hardly does justice to General Gilbert. His corps was scarcely a supporting corps, unless it was specially so directed in an emergency. Like the other corps it had its proper position in line, but it was not in any proper sense a supporting corps.

The WITNESS. I accounted for it then as I account for it now, by supposing that General Gilbert did not know the serious battle that was going on any more than I did myself. I inferred from his note at the time that there was nothing more than a skirmish going on.

Question. Have you read General Gilbert's report of that battle and do you find the knowledge exhibited in that report in accordance with this note addressed to you?

I think I have read General Gilbert's report, but I do not remember it so as to be able to answer the question, nor am I positive that I have read his report; only I must have read it, because I always take a deep interest in such things and generally read all the reports.

Question. On what was your opinion predicated, as stated to General Thomas, that "at last we had the rebels, and that they could not possibly get away"?

It was predicated upon the idea that they were in Perryville and that our army was there too. I made that remark after I learned that our army was there and in line of battle, and I believed that we would destroy them if they undertook to fly and that, we would whip them if they fought. I thought that we had got too near to them for them to run with any safety and that they must fight.

Question. You call the battle of Perryville a partial engagement; how many were killed and wounded there; do you recollect?

I do not remember that I called it a partial engagement. It might be called a partial engagement, as all the forces were not engaged. I do not remember the exact number killed and wounded. It was a very severe battle. My recollection is that General Rousseau in his report states that he lost from his own command some 1,800 killed and wounded. I will not be positive about that, but that is my recollection. I do not remember the entire number lost in killed and wounded.

Question. Were not 819 killed and between 3,000 and 4,000 wounded?

I cannot answer the question. My recollection is not certain as to that. I know it was a very severe battle and a bloody one, and I suppose it is about that number that were killed and wounded.

Question. You say that in a line of battle extending some 5 or 6 miles it is not strange that a partial engagement should take place without involving the whole army; is it not, however, remarkable that such an engagement, resulting in the death of over 900 men, in the wounding of more than 3,000, and the loss of very many valuable officers, occurring within 3 1/2 miles of headquarters, connected by the signal corps, without the knowledge of the general commanding till it was all over?

General BUELL. I object to the question, Mr. President. The question does not state the facts. The facts are not such as the question assumes. I did have knowledge of the battle before it was all over, and if the evidence does not show it already it will show that I adopted measures with reference to it. How great the loss may have been up to that time I am not able to say and it is hardly possible to ascertain.

The JUDGE-ADVOCATE. I would simply remark that General Buell assumes, and this is not the first instance of the kind, that the ques-