a ridge on the right of the railroad nearly opposite the position occupied by the Twenty-eight Illinois Infantry the night before.

At this point, by order of General Lauman, I bought up the Thirty-SECOND Illinois Infantry, having relieved it on picket by five companies of the Twelfth Wisconsin Infantry, and took command of the brigade, all of which was present, expect the Twelfth Wisconsin Infantry.

During the day, General Lauman, by order of Major-General Ord, commanding the Thirteenth Army Corps, turned over the command of the DIVISION to Brigadier General A. P. Hovey, who issued orders, upon assuming command, merging the DIVISION in the Twelfth DIVISION of the Thirteenth Army Corps, and naming this command as the FIFTH Brigade.

In the afternoon of the same day, the command took position, by order of General Hovey, in the forks of the Raymond and Gallatin roads, and on the 16th instant took position, by order of General Hovey, in rear of Fourth Brigade.

Since the affair of the 12th instant, a part of command has been daily engaged in destroying railroad track south, and the remainder performing ordinary duties of troops in camp.

The command is in excellent condition, as brave and every way efficient as any troops in the army.

Twenty-eighth Illinois Infantry, under the gallant Major Rhodes, true to its ancient record, behaved splendidly on the 12th instant, leaving some of their dead almost in the rebel ditch. This praise applies to officers and men alike, without exception, as I believe. It lost 5 officers and 63 men out of less than 200 engaged. This bloody fact tells its own story of their conduct.

The FIFTY-THIRD Indiana Infantry gallantly drove the field and saved guns of the FIFTH Ohio Battery, whose men and horses were nearly all disabled. Fortunately, the FIFTY-THIRD Indiana, though much exposed, lost no men. No other troops of the command have been under fire since leaving Vicksburg.

The command consists of the Twelfth Wisconsin Infantry, Captain Giles Stevens commanding; Twenty-eight Illinois Infantry, Major Hinman Rhodes commanding; Thirty-SECOND Illinois Infantry, Colonel John Logan commanding; FIFTY-THIRD Indiana Infantry, Colonel Walter Q. Greshman commanding, and Fifteenth Ohio Battery, Captain Edward Spear, Jr., commanding.

I am, captain, very truly, your obedient servant,

GEORGE E. BRYANT,

Colonel Twelfth Wisconsin Infantry, Commanding Brigade.

Captain John E. PHILLIPS,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

Numbers 33. Report of Brigadier General William P. Benton, U. S. Army, commanding Fourteenth DIVISION. HDQRS. FOURTEENTH DIV., THIRTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Camp near Vicksburg, MISS., July 27, 1863.

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of the Fourteenth DIVISION in the rout of the rebel General Joe Johnson from Jackson, MISS.:

On the morning of July 5, we faced by the rear rank and marched in