hospital. And I quite agree with Private Elder, of the Second Arkansas Regiment, that there was no fighting at or about the hospital after he was placed there. In common with the officers of my regiment, I am satisfied that there could not have been any Confederate soldiers guarding the hospital at the time we passed it. Indeed, it is evident, from the nature of our conflict at that point, that no Confederate soldiers could have been there at that time.

As already stated, the enemy was in full view near the Wilkinson pike when we halted beyond the hospital. Feeling apprehensive that the enemy might charge upon us, I sent Lieutenant [J. D.] Floyd back, some twenty minutes after we halted, to bring up any of our men who might be at the hospital. He stated that he saw nothing but Yankees there, and that General Liddell's brigade was then being formed in rear of the fence which runs on the north side of the large cotton-field on the left of the hospital. Captain Watterson, of the Seventeenth [Regiment], states that, in passing the hospital at the time when the regiment first came up to it, he got a drink of water from one of the surgeons. The surgeon made some complaint about the hospital having been fired into, but said he could not blame us, as the hospital had not been properly prepared.

It may be proper here to state that the hospital is named on the engineer's maps of the field of battle as the Jenkins house, and not as Mr. Griscom's house.

The following statement, made by Captain Terry, will exhibit circumstantially the length of time which must have elapsed after the capture of the hospital by the Seventeenth Tennessee Regiment before General Liddell's brigade came up to it:

When the Seventeenth Tennessee Regiment halted in the woods beyond the hospital, its guides were thrown out and the line dressed. I then visited the captured wagons, loaded with ammunition, and returned to my company. I then sent Lieutenant [J. H.] Hastings, Company A, Seventeenth Tennessee Regiment, back, on foot, to Brigadier-General Polk's skirmishers, who were advancing on our right, to inform them where we were, that they might not fire on us. Lieutenant Hastings went to the rear, got on a stump to attract the attention of the skirmishers, and was fired at. He then returned to his regiment. I now took the horse captured by Lieutenant Black and the colors of the regiment, and rode back to notify our forces, which were advancing, that the Seventeenth Regiment was in front. I communicated with one of the regiments of General Polk's brigade and returned to my regiment. I then went to the hospital, passed through the yard into the first field on the left of the lane and north of the woods already indicated as being west of south from the hospital, met Brigadier-General Johnson here, and notified him where the Seventeenth Tennessee was. Met a battery; asked some one who seemed to be connected with it [think it was the captain] whose battery that was, and was told that it belonged to General Liddell's brigade; then saw the infantry of this brigade near the fence on the north side of this first field-the large cotton-field. I am satisfied this was at least half an hour after we halted. I passed on and met the rest of Johnson's brigade just moving out of the woods, told them where the Seventeenth Regiment would be found, returned to the regiment, and remained there some minutes, during which time the Fifth Confederate my company, went to the captured ammunition wagons, and got three boxes of cartridges. While there, Brigadier-General Polk sent some men to guard the ammunition wagons. They told me that General Polk sent some men to guard the ammunition wagons. They told me that General Polk had ordered them not to allow any ammunition to be taken out of the wagons. I replied that I had already as much as I wanted. I then returned to my company and went to the hospital; found General Liddell at the yard gate which faces toward the Wilkinson pike. As I rode up, General Liddell asked a major of his brigade if he was too badly wounded to go on in the fight. The major replied that he was not, and that he would go on. The general then soldiers that were in the yard to go to their regiments; spoke to one particular soldier, and, pointing to him, told him to go to his regiment. The soldier replied, "You, General Liddell, just placed me here on guard." The general then said. "Well, remain there." At this time General Liddell's brigade had passed into the second field on the left, was advancing, and was nearly through it.