of military rules or discipline. The battery, though some time recruited, had never received its guns, horses, or appointments until within the week preceding the battle. It was a sad spectacle to a soldier to look at these raw levies and contemplate their fate in a trial at arms with experienced troops.

Such was the material of the command at the time the brigade was constituted. The same is true of the First Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Manson. All that experience could suggest, everything that incessant labor could accomplish, was done by me during the three days preceding the battle to put the regiments and battery into working shape. Not a moment was unnecessarily lost from drills and instruction. Manifest improvement was becoming daily visible. Yet, owing to the almost entire ignorance of the officers, this was necessarily slow. There was but a single staff officer of any experience with me. No subalterns were found in the whole command of sufficient military knowledge to assist upon the general staff.

Upon assuming command the town and bivouacs were at once thoroughly picketed. Cavalry patrols and scouting parties were kept constantly on the roads leading south and southeasterly for a distance of 12 miles out. Every exertion was used to guard against surprise and to procure intelligence from the front. Colonel Metcalfe had met with a repulse at Big Hill a few days previously. It was known that the enemy held this position some 15 miles to the front, but it seemed to be impossible to ascertain his force. Numerous plans were resorted to in order to ascertain this, but all were unavailing.

On Friday, the 29th, it was reported that the enemy had descended from the hill, but nothing could be learned accurately in regard to his approach toward our lines or whether such was his purpose. Duties elsewhere had called Major-General Nelson from Richmond, and the command fell to Brigadier-General Manson.

General Manson's line was 2 miles to the front and parallel to that of the Second Brigade. He had a half battery of artillery belonging to my command on one of his flanks and another half battery upon the opposite one, and was earnestly and laboriously endeavoring to instruct his officers and men and watching matters to the front.

About 4 o'clock on Friday afternoon the discharge of cannon was heard to the front in the direction of General Manson's lines. This continued for some minutes; no intelligence reached me, however, as to the cause. A messenger was sent forward forthwith. The brigade was put under arms, in readiness to march on command. A Rodman gun, from the artillery under command of Lieutenant Andrews, was sent forward on the Irving road, with five companies of the Eighteenth Kentucky Regiment, under Major Bracht, to support it, and every disposition made to move forward rapidly when ordered. The piece upon the Irving road was heard to fire four times, when everything became quiet. The messenger returned from the front with the intelligence that General Manson had advanced some 3 miles to a ridge near the village of Rogersville, had encountered the enemy, driven him off, captured one piece of artillery, and was able to hold his position. The officers in charge of my detachment on the Irving road reported having seen a small force of rebel cavalry attempting to flank General Manson's left, which he had dispersed by his fire. Nothing further was heard from General Manson, but the command was kept under arms till 10 p.m. The men then retired and were aroused again and placed to line of battle at 3 o'clock on Saturday morning. Still nothing was