cartridges up the hill into the corner of the works in face of the severe fire to which all above the works on that hill were subjected. We had one man, Second-Class Private Philip W. Ashton, mortally wounded (since dead) on station on this hill.

I have the honor, colonel, to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAS. R. DUNLAP,

Lieutenant, Chief Actg. Signal Officer, Seventeenth Army Corps.

Lieutenant-Colonel ALEXANDER,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Seventeenth Army Corps.

Numbers 575.

Report of Lieutenant Clifford Stickney, Seventy-second Illinois Infantry, Acting Signal Officer, of operations July 22.

SIGNAL DETACHMENT, SEVENTEENTH ARMY CORPS,

In the Field, Ga., July 24, 1864.

CAPTAIN: In compliance with your order of this date, I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by me in the battle of the 22nd instant:

Soon after the fog cleared away, I was sent by Lieutenant Dunlap, chief acting signal officer of this detachment, to establish a station on the hill taken by the Third Division, Seventeenth Army Corps, in the charge of the 21st instant, in communication with Lieutenant Conard, on ridge near Major-General Blair's headquarters. I opened communication in rear of our batteries, but the fire from the forts opposite our works, being concentrated on our guns, made the position too much exposed, and I moved into the edge of the woods lower down the hill. About noon the attack on our left and rear began, and in a short time the musketry fire came rapidly nearer. I began a message to Lieutenant Conard, but before it was finished the rebels were pouring across the ravine between our stations, and I finished the message over their heads. By this time the fire from the rebels approaching on our front, right, and left, became quite severe, and when I mounted my horse, they were not fifty yards from me, pouring out of the woods, across the field F shown in the annexed diagram.* The rebel columns are represented in the diagram by the parallelograms, and the direction of their advance by the arrows, which will show how nearly we were surrounded, and give some idea of the intensity of the fire to which all on the hill were subjected. So important was this position that the rebels made every effort to take it, but were so cut up that every charge was unsuccessful. After it had become too hot on the station, I repaired to the next ridge and assisted some line officers in rallying some of our broken and disordered columns. The line D C were the old rebel works then in our possession. After the first repulse of the rebels, I went back to the station and "called" for a little while, during which time Lieutenant Conard came over and joined me. We continued "calling," and soon established communication with Lieutenant

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*Not found.

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36 R R--VOL XXXVIII, PT III