and the brigade preceded by General Morell's brigade. Halted about 11 a. m. near Bethel, on the battle-field of last summer, for dinner. Resumed march after an hour and a half and continued marching till 6 p. m. without any event of consequence occurring. The day was pleasant and the march easy. Supposed to have marched twelve miles. Bivouacked for the night at Howard's Mill or Camp Misery. At 7 p. m. on Saturday morning commenced moving toward Yorktown. A rain set in soon after starting, making the march very hard and unpleasant. We had the left of the brigade this day, and our brigade, as before, was followed by General Butterfield's brigade. The march was very slow indeed and the road became very muddy. During the march the battery attached to General Butterfield's brigade, taking advantage of a side cut through the woods, cut off the left wing of the regiment from the right, forcing the men to the side of the road and into the fields, materially impeding their progress and producing much confusion. General Butterfield not only countenanced this move of his battery, but by coarse and brutal language to the men while attempting to urge them forward and insinuations of cowardice rendered himself very conspicuous. Major Schoeffel and other officers of the regiment did what they could to keep the line in order. It is a noteworthy fact in connection with this matter that when the head of the regiment was halted to close up the battalion in an open field, General Butterfield having promised to hold back his battery, it took but five minutes for the rearmost files to be closed, very remarkable promptness when it is considered that in addition to marching through rain and mud the line had been thus broken and confused. The head of the column was constantly up to the Twenty-fifth Regiment New York Volunteers. Without further interruption the battalion arrived in front of the rebels' works at Yorktown at 12.30 p. m. After resting until 1 o'clock the men were marched under arms, with the rest of the brigade, to the support of the batteries which were already engaging the enemy in their works. The battalion was first formed in close column of companies in rear of the brigade line of battle. At this time Captain Sullivan, with a small detachment, reconnoitered to the left of our brigade and finding none of the enemy advancing returned. We remained in this position for about an hour when we moved and deployed into line, facing a piece of woods on our hitherto left. Captain Hyland with one company was moved into the woods and ordered to deploy as skirmishers, and moved through the woods in connection with the skirmishers of the Second Maine, on the right. Nothing of interest was seen in the woods, and the line moved to a road in the edge of the woods facing the enemy's earth-works and 1,000 yards from them. Captain Hyland remained here about one hour when his line was replaced by Captain Wood and his company, the last remaining in the same position till dark, when they were relieved by the pickets of General Jomeson's brigade, of Hamilton's division. Captains Hyland and Wood report that during the engagement between ours and the enemy's batteries they observed a line of skirmishers from the enemy move out from the right and after firing some stacks, sheds, and a house retire again to the woods on their right. The works in front of their line did not appear mounted with any guns and but few tents or barracks were observable at that point. Several balls and shells from the enemy passed over the batteries and struck close to the regiment while lying in line of battle. At dark the battalion was moved back about one-quarter of a mile and bivouacked, where Captain Wood and

6 R R-VOL LI, PT I.