as to the bearing of the officers and men of the several commands; also, marked A and B, the lists* of the killed and wounded of the brigades.

I have the honor, colonel, to be, your obedient servant,

PRESTON SMITH,

Acting Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Colonel J. PERGRAM,

Chief of Staff.

No. 23.

Report of Colonel Benjamin J. Hill, Thirty-fifth Tennessee Infantry, commanding Second Brigade.

CAMP NEAR FLORENCE, KY., September 15, 1862.

The Second Brigade, of which I am in command, having been placed in the advance on August 29 for the attack on the enemy's forces before Richmond, Ky., I beg leave to submit the following report of its action:

Halting in line of battle on either side of the Richmond and Big Hill turnpike, in the afternoon of Friday, August 29, some 10 miles south of the former place, we awaited the result of the movement of the cavalry, under Colonel Scott, of Louisiana, which had been sent forward to ascertain the force and position of the enemy.

About 5 o'clock quick and heavy artillery discovered to us a skirmish some 5 miles in our front going on between the cavalry and Federals, and a few minutes after dark Colonel Scott's forces came into our lines on a brisk trot, reporting an advance of both infantry and cavalry troops from the Lincolnites. The brigade was then moved up some 50 yards in line of battle upon a range of small hills which commanded the pike and fields on both sides for more than half a mile. The battery under Captain Douglas was thrown into position on an eminence to the left of the road, supported by the sharpshooters, the Second and Forty-eighth Tennessee Regiments. The regimental skirmishers were placed 200 yards in front of their preparations a regiment of Federal cavalry, commanded by the notorious Metcalfe, came thundering down the road, crying "Charge, and shoot down the rebels." They were allowed to approach sufficiently near to ascertain by the sound on the road something of their exact whereabouts, when the skirmishers of the Forty-eighth Tennessee, whose right rested near the pike to who were commanded by Captain [O. T.] Plummer, of Company A, were ordered to fire, throwing the cavalry into utter confusion, causing a pell-mell retreat. One of the enemy was here killed, several wounded, and three captured. Thirty breech-loading Sharps cavalry carbines were picked up by my men and the place strewn with blankets and accouterments.

The brigade here lay upon its arms until early light Saturday morning, the 30th,when the order was given to advance in line of battle, which was done for a distance of 1 1/2 miles. The cavalry scouts here reported the position of the enemy in large force three-quarters of a mile north of the little village of Kingston. The brigade was marched in column along the road a half mile beyond the latter place and formed into line of battle on the right of the pike at 7 o'clock. The enemy then commenced a heavy artillery fire upon our line and also on the

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*Not found.

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