when General Hascall assumed command of the division, until the 28th day of May, when I was relieved by Lieutenant Colonel F. H. Lowry.

May 18, fell back from my position in front as picket near the crossing of Cassville and Rome highways, near Cartersville, Ga., at 5 a. m., in pursuance to orders from Colonel Bond, and break-fasted and moved off on the Cassville road; met no enemy to-day. May 19, moved to-day in support of Third Division toward railroad crossing of the Etowah, which we reached toward evening, with nothing of importance transpiring to One hundred and seventh Illinois; camped at night on Pettit's Creek, where we remained until the morning of 23rd of May. May 23, moved to-day, with twenty days' rations, down the Etowah to Etowah Cliffs, where we halted for the night to permit the Army of the Cumberland to cross. May 24, crossed the Etowah on pontoons at daylight, and moved out two miles and halted for breakfast; then moved up the Etowah to the residence of Colonel Ryal, where our skirmishers met a few dismounted cavalry and drove them before them; we halted for the night to protect the left and rear of our army. May 25, moved out early on the road to burnt Hickory, and marched until after night, when we camped in an old field on mile north of Pumpkin Vine Creek. May 26, moved at 2.30 a. m.; crossed Pumpkin Vine Creek, and moved forward two miles and halted near battle-field of proceeding day for breakfast; at 8 a. m. moved on a road to the left, formed our corps, and moved to the left of the Army of the Cumberland, and took position without much opposition; at dark the One hundred and seventh Illinois was thrown out on picket to protect the front of our division; Colonel Bond, commanding brigade, went out with me and posted the regiment, with four right companies on a fence facing a field on a line cutting the right of our barricades at right angles, and the three left companies thrown to the rear of the left of the four companies already posted, their line running nearly perpendicular to the line occupied by the right, with instructions to place the reserve, consisting of three companies, on the road running near the angle formed by the intersection of the line in front and on the right flank; giving me instructions to guard the open field on the right and the road running through our lines, and which turned to the right in our front and bore off to the enemy's works, and giving me to understand that the cavalry would connect with me on the left and patrol the road running by our left flank; with these dispositions we watched quietly during the night, with no signs of an enemy in our front.

May 27, this morning at daylight, as I was inspecting the lines in front, I was informed by the movements on the extreme left that danger was apprehended from the direction in which Colonel bond had informed me that cavalry were camped. Captain Milholland, in charge of the three left companies, cautioned the lien and then advanced several rods in front of the center, and, while listening, the enemy's skirmishers came out of the thick undergrowth a few rods in front of him and immediately fired on him. The boys sprung to their posts, but at this moment received a fire from the left to right. This fire developed the direction of advance of the enemy's skirmishers, and showed me that their lines would strike the left of my line of pickets at an angle of about sixty degrees from the parallel and reach beyond our left at least several rods. I immediately ordered the two left companies, A and C, to retire to the next ridge, some sixty yards in the rear, and present a front to the enemy's