stragglers. The brigade was joined at the saw-mill by the One hundred and fifty-third New York Volunteers, which had been left in the afternoon as a guard for the artillery and wagons of the division. From this point this regiment brought up the rear and furnished the rear guard. The march of the brigade was unmolested during the night, and there is reason to believe that the enemy was unaware of the fact that we had retired until after sunrise and after he had shelled our position of the night before. Just as this brigade was reaching the plain before Pleasant Hill the enemy's cavalry appeared, and the great number of stragglers and wagons which were near our rear rushed panic-stricken toward the front of the column. This created much disorder in the One hundred and fifty-third New York Volunteers, which was a new regiment and had never been under fire. Happily no bad results followed this disorder, and this regiment redeemed itself afterward by its conduct before the enemy.

On arriving at Pleasant Hill this brigade took, by direction of the brigadier-general commanding the division, the same ground which it had left the previous morning, having accomplished in twenty-four hours 40 miles of marching, much severe fighting, and a delicate retirement from the face of the enemy. When this brigade thus took up its old ground a large body of troops, supposed to be under the command of Brigadier General A. J. Smith, were between it and the enemy. It was therefore permitted to rest and to cook. The wagons belonging to the brigade were, by the direction of the brigadier-general commanding the division, sent to the rear. There was a good deal of picket firing during the day, which between 4 and 5 o'clock became frequent, and at moments heavy, and I directed that the brigade should stand to its arms. About this time Colonel Shaw, commanding a brigade of Brigadier General A. J. Smith's troops, came to me, saying that he was in front of my position and that both his right and left were being severely pressed, and desiring that I should send out a regiment to his support. As I had no authority to do more than to hold my position I declined to march out from it. Between five and ten minutes past 5 'clock the enemy fire became rapid and heavy, and appeared to be advancing toward the left flank and rear of my regiments. These regiments were at that time all of them on the right-hand side of the road going from Pleasant Hill to Mansfield. I immediately moved two regiments, viz, the One hundred and fifty-third New York Volunteers and the One hundred and fourteenth New York Volunteers, to the left-hand side of the road, and placed them across the line upon which the enemy appeared to be advancing, and from which direction his bullets were already beginning to drop into my camp. At the same time the colonel of the One hundred and sixteenth New York Volunteers, desiring to change the position of his regiment, was permitted to take up the position he desired. These dispositions were hardly accomplished when Colonel Shaw, of General Smith's division, with some artillery and a regiment of infantry, came fleeing through my lines, and the enemy was upon me. At this moment two pieces of artillery from Battery L, First U. S. Artillery, reported to me by order of the brigadier-general commanding the division. I immediately sent them to my rear, as the position in which I was situated admitted of no use being made of them. They had just retired when, from the confusion in my rear, I perceived the enemy was there, and occupied the only road through which I could communicate with the brigadier-general commanding the division. The enemy also appeared on the left