a dense growth of chaparral. The enemy had also planted a battery,

which kept up a raking and destructive fire upon our forces while they were endeavoring to cross it.

Here I found it necessary that the men should be cautioned that they must use every means in their power to go forward under such cover as the bushes and trees in the vicinity afforded. The enemy's sharpshooters had thrown bags of sand on the parapet, placed in such manner as to permit of their picking off our men without exposing themselves.

After communicating with and learning the wishes of the general commanding, I fell back, and established the headquarters about 350 yards from the enemy's parapet, which enabled me to watch their movements as well as to direct those of the skirmishers and advanced parties.

Owing to the advanced position of the brigade, I did not deem it advisable to draw them off before dark, as by so doing it would have occasioned a useless loss of life without any important advantage accruing from it. About 7 o'clock in the evening I drew off my men, together with the dead and wounded, without further loss, leaving the sharpshooters and skirmishers to hold the ground from which we had driven the enemy in the earlier part of the day.

Both officers and men conducted themselves in a manner worthy of American soldiers. The nine-months' troops have demonstrated by their gallant conduct that they can be relied on in any emergency.

The Fourteenth Maine Volunteers were not in the engagement. Our loss in killed, wounded, and missing is not heavy, considering the advantages possessed by the enemy, and the number of the natural and artificial obstacles which our forces had to surmount.

I append a list of the number of the killed, wounded, and missing; the missing, since heard, of were killed, and could not be found at the time.

Command. Killed Wounded Missing Total.

6th Michigan - 8 - 8

15th New Hampshire - 25 7 32

128th Ne York 1 20 - 21

26th Connecticut - 61 12 73

14th Maine - 1 - 1

Total 1 115 19 135

Respectfully submitted.

THOS. S. CLARK,

Colonel, Commanding First Brigade, Second Division

Captain WICKHAM HOFFMAN, Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 19. Report of Colonel Thomas G. Kingsley, Twenty-sixth Connecticut Infantry, of the first assault.

CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL, Baton Rouge, La., June 3, 1863

SIR: I have the honor to make to you the following report of the killed, wounded, and missing of the Twenty-sixth Regiment Connecticut