had upon my first reaching Darby's house taken position on the bare hill near the house, and sustained a heavy artillery engagement with the enemy. The movement ordered was made by Captain Wheeler and Colonel Ireland with great spirit and in splendid style, the battery, commanded by Lieutenant Bundy, charging on the run through open fields swept by musketry and artillery fire, and reaching the bald hill indicated before the enemy knew their purpose. Here the horses and limbers were left at the foot of the hill, the guns drawn up by hand and quickly sunk in the crest by the aid of my pioneer corps. Ireland's brigade, advancing on the double-quick in concert with the battery, instantly formed in support in rear of it and on both flanks. Bundy's six guns, sunken 400 yards from the embrasures opposite, opened a rapid and accurate fire by battery, quickly silencing the enemy's guns, and enfilading their right produced great havoc among their works and troops. The effect of each shot that went crashing through their works was plainly visible from our position. Two of the enemy's guns were dismounted, two knocked end over end, and the rest silenced their embrasures were literally destroyed, and, as I afterward learned from a prisoner, a large number of their troops killed or wounded. Jones' brigade was now advanced and formed in line on the left of Ireland's Candy's formed in reserve, all three brigades being in open fields, with the advanced lines close to the enemy.

During the afternoon Butterfield came up and formed on my left. Immediately after Bundy's battery had taken its advanced position McGill's was moved to a little elevation at the left of my line, from which he delivered an effective cross-fire, assisting materially to quiet the enemy in our front. Their sharpshooters, driven early in the day from the banks of the creek to their main line, posted themselves in trees and attempted during the afternoon to harass our gunners. Sharpshooters detailed from my command prevented them from producing the intended effect, and some of them were shot in their elevated hiding places. At dark my skirmishers were advanced close to the creek, where they dug pits in the soft ground for their protection. During the night the troops threw up breast-works of rails and earth. After dark commenced a series of very severe rain-storms which lasted, with occasional short intermissions, for several days and nights. Our skirmish pits were filled with water, and the occupants suffered much from cramps. All the troops bivouacked in fields of soft, low ground, and without adequate shelter, suffering much from these rains, which were accompanied by chilly winds. Muddy Creek and its small tributaries became swollen to the size and power of torrents, and the low ground adjoining, parts of which were unavoidably occupied by my troops in line, were flooded with water. June 18, our general position unchanged during the day; sharpshooting continued, with a number of casualties on our side; both of my batteries continued to pour their destructive fire into the enemy's works. The enemy replied feebly and seldom. June 19, suspecting the enemy would evacuated his line, at 2 o'clock in the morning I pushed my skirmishers forward, who crossed the swollen creek in my front without opposition, entered the works which they found abandoned, and moved half a mile beyond, the cavalry of the enemy's rear guard retiring. Having sent the One hundred and thirty-fourth New York Volunteers to support the skirmishers, I followed soon after in person; scouts of the enemy were visible on the hills about a mile beyond the creek.