back over our rifle-pits. At this moment a panic commenced. The black and white troops came pouring back together. A few, more gallant than the rest, without organization, but guided by a soldier's instinct, remained on the side of the pits nearest our line and held the enemy at bay some ten or fifteen minutes, until they were nearly all shot away. The Nineteenth U. S. Colored Troops being in rear was unable to enter the line, but moved up until it rested. The left and right flanks of the right and left wings rested on the line, and its own line ran to the right of the exploded fort. They remained there unable to strike a blow, but received heavy losses. About 100 of the men of this regiment, with some of the officers, went into the crater and remained there for hours, expending all their own ammunition and all they could take from the cartridge-boxes of the wounded and dead men that lay thick together in the bottom of this pit. After the repulse the brigade was reformed just in rear of our (now) front line and lay there until 2.30 p.m. It was then filed around to the right by a little hill, and there lay until sunset, when we marched to an reoccupied the ground we had left in the morning.

Whether we fought well or not, the scores of our dead lying as thick as if moved down by the hand of some mighty reaper and the terrible loss of officers can best attest. Nearly all the officers who came under my eye were fighting with bravery and coolness. My staff did good service. Captain Dempcy, acting assistant adjutant-general, was conspicuous, brave, and hard at work throughout the whole affair. It would be invidious to mention individual cases of regimental commanders when all, so far as I could see, behaved admirably. I desire, however, to pay a passing tribute to Lieutenant-Colonel Bross, Twenty-ninth U. S. Colored Troops, who led the charge of this brigade. He was the first man to leap over the works, and bearing his colors in his own hands he fell never to rise again. I would also speak of the gallant and genial Major Theodore H. Rockwood, Nineteenth U. S. Colored Troops, who, when the regiment was ordered forward, sprang upon the parapet, the first man, and fell cheering his regiment on. Such men cannot easily be replaced, nor the void they leave in our hearts readily filled.

I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. G. THOMAS,

Colonel, Commanding Brigade.

Captain HICKS,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Fourth Division, Ninth Corps.

No. 214. Report of Lieutenant Colonel J. Albert, Monroe, First Rhode Island Light Artillery, Chief of Artillery, of operations July 30.

HEADQUARTERS ARTILLERY, NINTH ARMY CORPS,
Before Petersburg, Va., August 5, 1864.

CAPTAIN: I respectfully forward the following report of the operations of the artillery of this corps (the Ninth) during the assault upon the enemy's position July 30:

The position of the batteries was as follows: Thomas' (Second Maine) battery on the right on the front of the First Division, Rogers' (Nineteenth New York) and Jones' (Eleventh Massachusetts) batteries on the front of the Second Division, and to the rear and left of the place