all in their power to obey these orders. The Twenty-seventh Michigan Volunteers started toward the left, but its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Wright, was shot, and the enemy, while protected by their traverses, had so long a line of fire from their pits, that the Twenty-seventh was unable to make any headway, notwithstanding that General Hartranft succeeded in disinterring one of the rebel guns in the work and firing it down this flank in aid of the movement.

About 7 or 8 o'clock the colored division moved into and on the right of the crater, and I sent orders to Hartranft to follow up and support them, if they succeeded in advancing. At the same time I pushed forward Humphrey's brigade in a front attack against the rebel rifle-pits on the left of the crater. The Second, Twentieth, and First Michigan Regiments went in line, and with no great loss carried the pits the length of their line, capturing some 40 prisoners, but the Forty-sixth New York broke, and in their disgraceful retreat threw two remaining regiments of the Second Brigade into temporary disorder and separated them from the line of battle. Meantime Hartranft got out another gun, and was able to use it on his right flank, when an assault was made upon that side and upon the negro troops, who now occupied it,without advancing toward Cemetery Hill. This assault on the crater was repulsed with much loss to the rebels, the troops of my division that were with Hartranft springing to the edge of the crater and firing until the enemy were driven back and sought the shelter of their rifle-pits. The two guns spoken of were manned by men of this division and of the Fourteenth [New York] Heavy Artillery, under the guidance of Sergt. W. Stanley, Company D of that regiment, who behaved with great skill, coolness, and bravery, but unfortunately was killed during the day. Another assault was afterward attempted on the rear of the work and was again repulsed. The enemy brought field artillery into position on several points long the Jerusalem plank road and Cemetery Hill,and a barn to the left of the hill. Their mortar batteries also got the range of the crater, and the shells fell with destructive precision among our troops, so closely packed together. Nevertheless, General Hartranft reported that he had some of his troops in better shape, and thought they could hold the position if ammunition could be supplied. I had already brought ammunition up to within 200 yards of the crater, and immediately sent in 10,000 rounds by men of the Fifty-first Pennsylvania, part of whom were shot in the attempt. The enemy now had full sweep of the ground between the crater and our rifle-pits, and at my request Colonel Guy V. Henry, commanding a brigade in the Eighteenth Corps, and General Ferrero, with detachments of colored troops, began to work from their side toward us. Affairs were in this condition when I was summoned, with the other division commanders, to corps headquarters about 12.30 p.m. During my absence the work was evacuated under orders of the brigade commanders inside, sent to them from the major-general commanding. At the time of the evacuation the enemy made a third assault with a column of re-enforcements from General Hill's corps. This assault was virtually repulsed by the fire of our artillery, particularly Roemer's (Thirty-fourth New York) and Mayo's (Third Maine) batteries, and by the men remaining in the crater whom the order to withdraw did not reach. The rebel column, marching down the hill over open ground, was so shattered by our fire that if broke to one side, and the other fell back, rallied, and finally swayed off to the left of the crater into their rifle-pits, and advanced again under cover, when the most of our troops had