out to cover the front of the line and every preparation made for a proper advance when the order should be received. Almost immediately after we had taken position the line on our right (General McPherson) was advanced and soon became engaged with the enemy, but suffered no loss. About 4 p.m. by your orders, our line was advanced,changing direction gradually to the left,and having emerged from the timber was massed on the left of General Harrow's line,who was still skirmishing with the enemy. Shortly after dark we again changed position, relieving the regular brigade, of the Fourteenth Army Corps. My regiment was here located on the right of our brigade line and along the crest of a hill with a meadow of about 600 yards in width in front and extending from the base of the hill occupied by me to a hill opposite, which was strongly fortified and occupied in force by the enemy. As soon as day dawned on the 14th instant a sharp fire was opened by the rebel sharpshooters on my skirmishers, which was kept up quite briskly during the day, inflicting some loss on my regiment. Early in the day of Saturday, the 14th instant, instruction were received from your headquarters that we would be ordered to assault the works in our front at some time during the day,and orders were also given by you to strengthen the skirmish line. In compliance with the order, I deployed Company D of my regiment, Captain Tansey, relieving the skirmishers under Captain Carson, who had been placed upon the line the preceding night, and a few hours subsequently communicated to Captain Tansey an order received from your headquarters to advance his skirmishers, which was promptly though cautiously done, the men availing themselves of such meager shelter as the open field afforded. About 1 p.m., and while our line was resting behind the crest of the hill to avoid a troublesome fire which the rebel sharpshooters continued to pour in upon the crest, the "attention" was sounded in the regiment on my left and was repeated in my regiment. Not having received any intimation of what movement was intended, I called to Brigadier-General Ward, who at that moment approached my left, to know what the orders were. His reply was, "The orders are to advance." Knowing that an assault on the works in our front had been in contemplation earlier in the day,and supposing that the order involved such an assault, or at least that it involved an advance until a halt was ordered by the brigade commander, I put my regiment in march when the regiment on my left moved and passed over the crest of the hill and down its slope to a fence at its base, where I had previously instructed my officers to halt for a moment to reform their line, as they would necessarily be much broken in passing down the hill, which was very steep in some places. Under the cover of the fence I halted, and passed an inquiry to my major, who was on the left, to know whether the One hundred and second Illinois was still advancing with me. His answer was that this regiment had halted on the crest of the hill. After some time I was given to understand by one of the brigade staff, calling to me from the summit of the hill, that it was not intended that I should pass the hill, but that I should have halted on the crest, which had not been previously explained to me. By retiring the men singly or in small squads I was able without further casualties to resume our former line behind the crest of the hill. My losses during the day were as follows: On the skirmish line - killed, enlisted man,1; wounded, enlisted men,3; in advancing over the crest of the hill to our