ommend most favorably the sergeants mentioned by Lieutenant Beck. Lieutenant Thornton,* of this battery, a most valuable officer, was killed in the action.

Of the division and personal staff officers acting under me, I must mention the whole honorably. The following are the officers referred to, viz: Captain A. Henry Embler, acting assistant adjutant-general, Second Division; Captain H. Y. Russell, topographical officer, Second Division; Major W. L. Palmer, ordnance officer, Second Division; Captain F. B. Doten, assistant commissary of musters, Second Division; Captain W. E. Potter, judge-advocate, Second Division; First Lieutenant William H. Gilder, personal aide; First Lieutenant James E. Manser, personal aide. Captain Russell, Major Palmer, and Lieutenants Gilder and Manser, were particularly active. Lieutenant Gilder had his horse's head knocked off by a shell.

I beg to mention the Thirty-sixth Wisconsin, Eighth New York Heavy Artillery, and One hundred and sixty-fourth New York Volunteers. No troops could have done better.

I am compelled to disapprove of the conduct of Lieutenant Colonel Horace P. Rugg, Fifty-ninth New York Volunteers, commanding First Brigade, Second Division in a very grave particular. When withdrawing from near the Burgess house, Captain J. C. Farwell, Seventh Michigan Volunteers,# was on picket with his command in Lieutenant-Colonel Rugg's front, having been detailed some time previously. To this detail I ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Rugg to send a staff officer and have it withdrawn. Instead of a staff officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Rugg sent an orderly, who missed the road and failed to find Captain Farwell or notify him. Lieutenant-Colonel Rugg failed to inform me of his failure to withdraw his pickets, and marched his command from the field without them. Captain Farwell remained there all night, narrowly escaping capture in the morning. He fought the enemy several miles on his retreat and got through. To prevent the capture of his colors, he tore his State color from the staff, and his color-sergeant wrapped it round his body, under his clothing. Tearing his National color into pieces, each star was given to a man, and the other pieces also distributed, so that the enemy would have failed to capture them, except after the death of the whole command, and the search of their bodies.

I pronounce the cavalry sent with me as worthless. For cavalry I depended upon my staff, mounted orderlies, and the foot cavalry of the Second Corps.

The officers following are specially recommended for brevet rank for gallantry and distinguished services, viz: Colonel Robert McAllister, Eleventh New Jersey Volunteers, commanding Third Brigade, Third Division, to be brevet brigadier-general of volunteers; Major and Bvt. Lieutenant Colonel W. G. Mitchell, aide-de-camp, to Major-General Hancock to be brevet colonel; Captain A. Henry Embler, acting assistant adjutant-general, Second Division to be brevet major; Captain J. C. Farwell, commanding consolidated battalion of First Minnesota and Seventh Michigan Volunteers, to be brevet major. First Lieutenant W. Butler Beck, commanding Companies C and I, Fifth U. S. Artillery, to be brevet captain; Captain George W. La Point, Seventh Michigan Volunteers, to be brevet major.

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*So in original; but reference is probably to Lieutenant Thomas Burnes.

#Farwell belonged to the First Minnesota, and was in command of a consolidated battalion of the First Minnesota and Seventh Michigan.

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