August 5 two divisions of the Cavalry Corps left this section for duty in the Shenandoah Valley.

August 9 occurred the severe injuries incident to the explosion of the ordnance barge at City Point.

From the 1st to the 12th comparative quiet obtained in the army, but at this last date movements were initiated having in view the seizure and destruction of the Weldon railroad. This was accomplished before the 25th by the Fifth Corps, when our lines were permanently extended to the left and the vicinity of the Yellow (or Globe) Tavern. As a preliminary, and to facilitate this object, diversion was made by movement of the Second Corps to the north side of the James, commencing on the 12th. The sick and wounded of that corps were sent by ambulance train to depot field hospital at City Point. The corps marched in the afternoon and camped at City Point at night, waiting transport vessels. The ambulance train arrived at 11 p.m., left those unable to accompany the command in depot field hospital, City Point, and resumed the journey to Bermuda Hundred, and the next day joined the corps at Jones' Neck. The corps had embarked on the 13th, and reached Deep Bottom, north side of the James, on the 14th; it disembarked, advanced to the west of the New Market, road, and took position there. The day was excessively hot; the men had been exhausted, and many fell out of the ranks, some insensible or in convulsions; in many cases death resulted. Twenty ambulances to a division were crossed over the pontoon bridge from Jones' Neck, and were at once occupied with these cases and those wounded by skirmishing. One medicine wagon and one army wagon (loaded with tent flies and cooking utensils) for each division also were crossed. A refreshing shower happily occurred in the evening. Hospitals were formed near the lower pontoon bridge, on the north bank of the river, where a landing place was constructed by which to send the wounded by boats to hospitals at City Point, and who were sent by quartermaster transports on the 15th.

Skirmishing continued on 16th, 17th, and on the 18th the enemy attacked, particularly the Tenth Corps line. One division of the Second Corps was transferred after this across the James, and proceeded to occupy the works just abandoned by the Fifth Corps, then massing for the movement on the Weldon railroad. The field hospitals of this (Second Corps) division were placed near the Deserted House. The other (Second Corps) divisions left the north side August 20, and proceeded to the Weldon railroad, where the Fifth Corps was engaged. Military considerations made it proper to take only ten ambulances to each division, the residue of the Second Corps medical train went into park in the vicinity of the Birchett house.

There were received in field hospitals from the affair on the north side 542 wounded; of these 35 officers; 23 deaths occurred in field hospital; the residue were sent to City Point.

On the 19th one division of the Ninth Corps was sent to join the Fifth near the Six-Mile Station, Weldon railroad, where an attack of the enemy had been received at noon of the 18th. The field hospital of the Ninth and Fifth Corps were relieved of their inmates by the ambulances of the Sixth Corps, running between them and City Point, and the train, increased to 110 vehicles, was afterward used exclusively by the Fifth Corps, which had need of all its ambulances to remove the wounded from the front on account of the terrible state of the roads. As soon as it was safe the hospitals of the Fifth Corps were advanced toward the Williams house. Those of the Ninth were