It will thus be seen that the whole front was scarcely enough to deploy a single regiment. Colonel Fenton, in command of the First Brigade, used every exertion to throw the Eighth Michigan as far to the right as possible and to bring on in support the Seventh Connecticut and Twenty-eighth Massachusetts, but the terrible fire of grape and musketry cut the two former regiments in two, the right going to the right and the left to the left, whither finally the whole of the Twenty-eighth Massachusetts took position, and where they were joined with scarcely an interval of time by the One hundredth Pennsylvania and Forty-sixth New York, of Leasure's brigade. These regiments had been brought up with great promptness and energy by Colonel Leasure, and the right of the One hundredth had pushed up to and joined the Seventy-ninth in their charge.

It was during this brief period of less than one half hour, from 5 to 5.30 o'clock, that the greater portion of the casualties occurred. The Eighth Michigan made the most heroic exertion and suffered the most terrible losses. Captains Pratt, Church, guild, and Lieutenant Cottrell, commanding companies, were killed, and Captains Doyle and Lews and Lieutenant Bates, commanding companies, were wounded on or near the parapet of the work. My aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Lyons, who led the storming party and the first man to cross the ditch, was severely wounded on the berm of the work, and was obliged to retire. Of 22 officers of that regiment who went into action 13 were killed or wounded.

Seeing that without supports and reforming the line it was useless to continue the contest, I ordered the troops to be reformed on the hedge nearest the works, and the regiments which had suffered most, viz, The Eighth Michigan, the Seventy-ninth Highlanders, and the Seventh Connecticut, to be withdrawn to the second hedge to be reformed.

It was not till, in the execution of this order, the line at the advanced hedge had been formed and the regiments at the second hedge were forming, that Colonel Williams' advance was to be seen to our left, and soon afterward his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant adams, reported to me for orders. My orders to Colonel Williams were to maintain the position he had taken on that flank, and to do the best, in concert with our attack, the circumstances of the ground permitted. The movement to Colonel Williams was in my judgment the best thing that could be done, and he executed it in a manner worthy of all admiration.

Some time was occupied in establishing the whole line at the advanced hedge. The remains of two or three companies of the Eighth Michigan and of several companies of the Highlanders never once abandoned the advance positions on the right and left of the enemy's works till ordered so to do at a subsequent period of the action, and the remainder of the regiments were gallantly led, that of the Eighth Michigan by Captain Ely, twice wounded, and the only officer of the storming party not killed or disabled, and that of the Highlanders by their gallant lieutenant-colonel, Morrison, who, wounded in the head on the parapet, seemed only the more eager and determined to led on to the assault. The Seventh Connecticut also moved up in a beautiful and sustained line of battle; for it must be borne in mind there had not been the least panic o running from the field on the pat of a single regiment. Commands - in consequence of the roughness of the ground, the unexpected abrupt narrowing of the front at the neck of the peninsula, the destructive fire of grape and musketry from the enemy, and the rapidity with which regiment followed regiment - were divided, became