withdraw in the direction of Canton, and, as I understood, desiring you to move in a direction to unite your forces or to enable you to co-operate with him. This led to an order forthwith to countermarch and move in the direction of Brownsville. About the time the army was ready to take up the line of march, firing commenced in front, and soon it was ascertained that the force was too large to be long resisted by our picket force. The whole train moved on the countermarch preceded by the brigade of Colonel [A. W.]Reynolds, which now became, under the new order, the advance guard. General Loring's brigade was draw up in line of battle first in the lower road. He fell back then a half mile, and reformed in the rear of the entrance of the military road with the Raymond road. For some time it was doubtful whether the main attack would be in the middle Raymond road, on which our left(Stevenson's DIVISION) rested, or on our right, held by Loring's DIVISION. Our position along which our lines were formed was, in my judgment a favorable one. It soon became evident, however, that the main attack was going to be on the left, and the fighting had not continued long before information was received from General Stevenson that he was hard pressed. Your headquarters having been selected to the left of the center of the line, ready access was soon checked by a few well-directed shots from a battery of Bowen's DIVISION. Soon after you ascertained that the main assault would be made on the left, orders were sent to General Loring to follow up the movements of General Bowen. When there was some delay at his coming, you directed me to carry the order, which I did at the full speed of my horse. The order I delivered was that "General Pemberton desires you to come immediately and with all dispatch to the left, to the support of General Stevenson, whatever MAY be in your front. "General Loring replied by asking me if General Pemberton knew that the enemy was in great force in his front. I replied I did not know whether General Pemberton knew the fact or not, but I knew I repeated the order correctly, and if he did not comply with it the responsibility was his, not mine. I returned to your headquarters and repeated the conversion. Soon after it was discovered that some two regiments had broken, and I went to endeavor to rally them. you soon came up and by a few appropriate words addressed to them, closing by proposing to lead them back yourself if their officers did no, the regiments rallied, and the officers petitioned you to let them lead them, which they did. We then moved along in their rear far into the front, and on finding the enemy was making a flank movement to our left, the inquiry was made again,"Where is Loring?" and some of the staff were sent to hunt him. On returning to headquarters, general Buford, with his brigade, was met, and after you had pointed out to him the position he was to take, you again directed me, if possible, to find General Loring. General T. H. Taylor and myself undertook to do so. We were gone fro some time before was ascertained where he was; but finding he had gone on a road we did not know to the left, we returned to report the fact to you. Upon our return we met with General Stevenson, who informed us you had gone in the direction of the late headquarters of General Loring. As the enemy was reported to us to have gote we supposed you to be and ourselves, we moved in what we believed to be a direct line to the lower bridge. In this we had no guide, and struck the creek some distance above it, and found it most difficult to get across,