putting up the redoubt on the Williams house road; or was any suggestion made in the matter to myself or any of my command who had any agency in the alterations. Had there been sufficient opportunity I should have had nearly the whole line rebuilt, but, owing to the lack of time, and so many of my men being on fatigue under the engineer department, I connected only the most essential points. The changes that were made were made under my immediate direction or that of my chief of staff, and the errors in the old line were discovered by me or pointed out by my staff officers sent out to inspect the line.

Very truly, your obedient servant,

WINF'D S. HANCOCK,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS FIFTH ARMY CORPS, July 31, 1864.

Major-General HANCOCK:

I am ordered to relieve your line on my left to-night, but having available a sufficient force to relieve your picket-line, I am going to do it before dark if I can. Will you give instructions to your troops to allow mine to relieve them as soon as it gets there? The rifle-pits I will relieve early to-morrow, as I expect it will be late to-night before the troops I am to do it with get relieved by General Burnside.

G. K. WARREN,
Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS SECOND ARMY CORPS, July 31, 1864.

Brigadier General S. WILLIAMS,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Army of the Potomac:

GENERAL: General Warren writes me that he will relieve my picket-line this evening and the troops at the redoubt near the Norfolk road. The troops in the rifle-pits, he says, he will not be able to relieve till morning. To this arrangement I assented, as the troops in the breast-works can be very easily concentrated.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WINF'D S. HANCOCK,

Major-General of Volunteers, Commanding.

GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. SECOND ARMY CORPS,

Numbers 25.
July 31, 1864.

The major-general commanding desires to express to the troops his gratification with their conduct during the late movement across the James River. While all the troops who kept their ranks (he regrets to say there were many who did not) and sustained the arduous marches are deserving of praise, the following organizations seem to merit particular mention: The Fifth New Hampshire, Twenty-eighth Massachusetts, One hundred and eighty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, and