o'clock General Burnside told me it was time for General Turner to move, and I directed General Turner accordingly; but the general got ahead of Potter's division, Ninth Corps, and was obliged to wait until it had passed. To understand the manner of the movement I quote General Burnside's order, dated July 29, for the assault, which says:

1. The mine will be exploded to-morrow morning at 3.30. * * *

2. General Ledlie will immediately, upon the explosion of the mine, move his troops forward. * * *

3. General Willcox will move his division forward after General Ledlie has passed through the first line of the enemy's works, bearing off to the east.

4. General Potter will move his division forward to the right of General Ledlie's as soon as it is apparent that he will not interfere with the movement of General Willcox's division, and will, as near as possible, protect the right flank of General Ledlie from any attack in that quarter, and establish a line on the crest of a hill which seems to run from the Cemetery Hill nearly at right angles to the enemy's main line, directly in our front. * * *

5. General Ferrero will move his division immediately after General Willcox until he reaches our present advance line, where he will remain until the ground in his front is entirely cleared by the other divisions, when he will move forward over the same ground that General Ledlie moved over, will pass through our lines, and, if possible, move down and occupy the village to our right.

Thus it will be seen that all three of his rear divisions had to follow each the action of those in its front; and I learned afterward that the passage out and to our front line of breast-works was by a long trench or covered way and through a breach in our works. Hence the movements were slow, and there was delay, especially after the enemy had massed his men, and our wounded coming from the front began to choke this covered way. About 6.30 a.m., having sent General Turner, commanding my advance division, an order to move forward on the crest of the hill to right of Potter (see the above order directing General Potter to establish a line on the crest of the hill), near or on the Jerusalem plank road, in reply to this General Turner reported that General Burnside's troops filled the trenches in his front, occupying the crater and blocking up the way. About this time, or shortly after, I received an order directly from General Meade's headquarters, as follows:

You will at once move forward your corps rapidly to the crest of the hill, independently of General Burnside's troops, and make a lodgment there, reporting the result as soon as obtained.

This order I sent at once to Generals Turner and Ames. The latter was with his division, closing up on Turner and keeping his men massed for a movement in any direction. General Turner replied:

The only place I can get out of the lines is opposite the crater. It is already full of men who cannot develop. I shall put in my column as soon as I can. It is impossible, by reason of the topography, to charge in the manner you indicate. I must go in by head of column and develop to the right.

From General Ames I received the following:

I find that the covered way is the only way of getting to the front. General Turner occupies the road, and it is impossible for me to move until he gets out of my way.

Now, I had not seen the ground, and supposed all this time that there were several places of exit and the ground tolerably free from obstructions.

I sent Generals Turner's and Ames' replies to General Meade and went myself to the front, where I found our men were debouching into the crater and into a short space of the enemy's trench on each side of it. I met General Turner, just from the crater (only seventy-five yards off), and saw our men needlessly filing into the crater and the short line of the enemy's works under a destructive cross-fire. The enemy just