and strong enough support two men, when used in a horizontal position, across a 10 foot ditch. To one end of each of these ladders was attached a rope three-fourths of its length, so as to enable the men to lay them on the ground and pull them after them; thus the enemy could not perceive them until the assault was made. On the 22nd, I had the pioneer corps ready, in case we succeeded in the assault, to advance immediately and open a way for the artillery. During the assault, the Forty-FIFTH and Twentieth Illinois Infantry, having failed to storm the works, retired to a point about 30 yards in front of the redan, to the left of the redoubt, on the Jackson road, holding that position, and lying down under a little ridge. At dusk I advanced half of the pioneer corps to that point, and intrenching them in that position, commenced to sap the redan. I succeeded in opening the sap 60 feet and the mine 4 feet, but was the next day driven from the position by the enemy's hand grenades. The next night I attempted to resume the work, but was compelled to abandon it. In justice to the above-mentioned regiments, I must say that they held the position twenty-four hours when it was instant death so show even the top of the head above the intrenchments. On the night of May 25, under the direction of Captain Hickenlooper, he having ordered a detail of 3000 men for this purpose, the works at the white house were commenced, and at daylight on the 26th the battery of 24-pounder howitzer known as McAllister' was in position. This battery, together with a section of a captured battery (3-inch riffled guns), was afterward designated, by order,"White House Battery", the Eight Michigan Battery, and the SECOND section of the above-mentioned captured battery, taking positions on the left of the THIRD Brigade, formed the THIRD and final position held by the DIVISION during the siege. Within the two following days I had the whole line intrenched on the right and left of the white house. June 19, the sap then having been constructed to the point where Coonskins Tower stood and the redoubt completed, the 30-pounder Parrott guns were removed to this position and placed under the command of Lieutenant Branigan, first U. S. Infantry, battery Logan being occupied by two 9-inch Dahlgren guns, under the command of Captain Offley, first U. S. Infantry. From this date the work progressed daily, nothing of interest occurring until the explosion of the mine under the main redoubt of Jackson road on June 25. This mine was driven by Lieutenant Russell, company D, seventh Missouri paired to the crater and began to fill up the opening through which the enemy were firing volley after volley. I was supported while personally superintending this work by a company of the Forty-FIFTH Illinois Infantry, under the command of Colonel Maltby, his lieutenant-colonel having been mortally wounded and his major killed a few moments before by the first volley. Having succeeded in putting up a timber, loopholed for riflemen, the enemy seemed disposed to come over. Perceiving their intentions, I ran to the nearest battery, and binging back three 10-pounder Parrott shells, put in five-SECOND fuses, and threw over one after the other, compelling the enemy to retire. Our men and the enemy were then bayonet to bayonet.