to drive the enemy out or silence their fire, which they soon did. Just at height I modified my line, by order of General Brooks, by right of the road, to fill a space between General Marston's brigade and my own. At about 11 o'clock at night the enemy in some force charged upon my pickets in front of the Shippen house, forcing them back some distance, when Lieutenant-Colonel Caughlin at the head of his regiment charge in turn upon the enemy, drove them back in confusion, and re-established the picket-line in its originally position. At a later hour the enemy again attacked and drove in my skirmishers, when he was again met by Lieutenant-Colonel Coughlin and driven back, after a spirited skirmish. On the 10th a portion of my command was engaged in destroying the railroad track, my lines remaining unchanged until about 3 p. m., when in obedience to orders from General Brooks, I withdrew my command as soon as General Marston had retired on my right and returned to camp. The enemy seeing the movement, threw a few shells at my skirmishers as they retired, but did no injury and made no attempt to follow us. On the 12th instant, in pursuance of orders, my command moved out from camp at 7 a. m. in the direction of the Richmond turnpike, and on reaching this pike moved up it in the direction of Drewry's Bluff. On encountering the enemy near Dr. Cheatham's house, my brigade was drawn up in line on the left of the turnpike with General Weitzel's on my right on my right and the Third Brigade, Colonel Sanders, on my left. My skirmishers engaged the enemy, and the necessary dispositions having been made, they were ordered to advance, and the enemy were steadily pushed back for quite a distance, my line of battle moving up in support of the skirmishers. While the advance was being made the Tenth New Hampshire was much annoyed by a hot fire from a considerable body of the enemy stationed on the right of the road in the vicinity of some old barracks. Lieutenant-Colonel Coughlin promptly crossed the pike, charged the position with his regiment, drove the enemy from it, and captured some 20 prisoners. The advance was continued until the enemy was driven behind Proctor's Creek, the loss in my command being quite small. On the 13th skirmishing was resumed, the enemy being pressed steadily back, until in the afternoon my skirmishers had passed the Half-Way House, and arrived in front of the enemy's entrenchments. During the latter part of the afternoon the skirmishing was quite lively at times, the enemy making an unsuccessful attempt to dislodge my skirmishers from the woods in rear of Friend's house. In the evening, it being supposed that the enemy was evacuating his works in my front, by order of General Books, I directed the skirmishers to advance cautiously and feel of the enemy, and it was ascertained that a considerable force was still in front of me.

On the morning of the 14th I advanced my brigade and occupied the works of the enemy in my front, which were found to have been evacuated during the night. The enemy had retired to some powerful earth-works on the right of the pike, from which he opened a warm artillery fire upon my command as it moved up to occupy the deserted line of works. I deployed my command in line under the cover of the works, my right resting on the turnpike, and my left connecting with Colonel Sanders' brigade. I remained in this position during the 14th and 15th, changing the works, so that they