At 3. 30 a. m. we received orders from Colonel Ames, Sixth U. S. Colored Troops, to-

March with all possible dispatch to Mathews' Court-House, occupy the place, detail a captain and his company for provost duty, seize all suspicious characters, and take such private property as might be useful to contrabands, and to prevent any plundering by the men.

As no officer near could inform me of the direction in which the Court-House lay, nor how far we were from any road, some time was lost in searching for a house at which to procure a guide. A farm-house being finally discovered, I sent a detachment under Captain Wickes to search the premises for a guide. Some time elapsing without hearing from the captain, I sent another party under Major Boernstein to assist in the search and hasten the procuring of a guide. Shortly afterward, hearing four shots in the direction of the house, I sent forward a company to re-enforce the party under Major Boernstein, and riding up toward the house I met Captain Wickes returning with a prisoner, a member of the Fifth Virginia Cavalry, whom Major Boernstein had captured in the house. Another person in the house at the time, supposed to be a major of the Fifth Virginia Cavalry, succeeded in making his escape. The shots mentioned above were fired by a party of rebels, who came near the house and called for the prisoners. After discharging their pieces they rode off. No further sign of the enemy appearing, and getting what information was necessary from the prisoner, we immediately started for the Court-House and arrived there at sunrise. I found that a company of the Eleventh Pennsylvania Cavalry had occupied the place a couple of hours previous to our arrival. A few members of the Fifth Virginia Cavalry were started, but all managed to effect their escape.

At 10 a. m. General Graham arrived, and on reporting to him I was referred to Colonel Ames for orders, and was by him ordered to take the Fourth out on the Gloucester road about 2 miles, to a point where the head of the East River almost touches the road, and to throw a line of sentinels from that point across the peninsula to an estuary of the Piankatank, a distance of nearly 3 miles, "to pick up any enemy or other person who might attempt to escape the cavalry who were engaged in scouring the country below, to assist in getting to the boats any persons of color or other refugees who might wish to go within our lines, to seize such property as might be useful to contrabands, and prevent plundering by the command. " These orders, with the exception of that relating to the prevention of plundering, were executed. Our line being a very long one, and the regiment consequently being greatly dispersed, and the order to search for and seize property necessitating the separation to a considerable extent of officers from the men, and, more than all, the fact that the men began to consider the expedition a kind of plundering foray, rendered it almost impossible to execute this order while carrying out the letter of the others.

At 10 p. m. of the 19th we received orders to be in readiness to march at 12 p. m. At the prescribed hour the regiment assembled on the road leading to the landing, and at 4 a. m. of the 20th, the general having arrived, we started for the boats. Arrived at the boats, we embarked and proceeded up the river to Jones' Landing, on the Piankatank, where we again disembarked and marched to New Market, in Middlesex County, a distance of 7 miles, where we arrived at 6 p. m. Several companies were here detailed for picket