About 8 o'clock on the morning of the 16th, one of the enemy's batteries opened fire on our regiments on picket duty. This battery was planted on the Raymond road, about 2 miles from where our troops were bivouacked, in the direction of Raymond road, and General Buford's brigade on the left. This was done in obedience to an order from General Loring. General Pemberton rode up while the line of battle was forming and approved the movement. Our batteries were placed in position on an eminence near the road, just in front of the infantry. At this time General Loring rode up from the front, and ordered the line of battle to be changed to high hill or continuous ridge some 600 yards in rear of our line as then established . Upon this ridge or hill Loring's DIVISION was placed in line of battle-Tilghman's brigade on the right of the DIVISION and on the right of the Raymond road; my brigade on the left of Tilghman's and on the right of the Raymond road; Buford's brigade on the left mine and on the left of the Raymond road. General Buford's left wing connected with General Bowen's right, in the direction of the Clinton road. Very soon after this line was formed (about 11 o'clock in the forenoon), the enemy made their appearance in our front, sending forward a line of skirmishers on foot as well as one on horseback. These skirmishers were met by our line of skirmishers in our front, and very soon fell back to the woods from which they emerged. General Pemberton was present when this line of battle was formed, and then went to the center or left of the line. In this position our DIVISION remained until about 12 o'clock, when an order came from General Pemberton, directing General Buford to be moved farther to the left, in the direction of the Clinton road, that he might take the position of General Bowen's DIVISION, which had been ordered to the support of General Stevenson's DIVISION, on the Clinton road. I was ordered to move my brigade to the left at the same order was promptly obeyed by General Buford's brigade. This order was promptly obeyed by General Buford and myself. My brigade remained in this position until 2 or 3 o'clock in the evening, within hearing of the guns on our left, where the battle was progressing. Up to this time no other demonstration had been made by the enemy on the Raymond road except the one already mentioned.