and did not, therefore, include it in reporting my line of battle formed, that regiment being about a mile distant. I positively deny that there was any tardiness in the formation of the line of battle. Educated a soldier, with fifteen years' experience in the army, I deem myself a competent judge of the execution of a tactical movement. The troops were trained and veteran soldier, and I assert that the movement was executed rapidly, steadily, and handsomely. Whether tardily executed or not, no delay resulted from it, for it had been formed, been reported, and waited more than half an hour before an advance was ordered.

General Ransom charges further that I was ignorant of the fact that Gracie's skirmishers covered part of my front. I discovered the fact and reported it by the colonel in command to General Ransom. Gracie had been ordered to the left. His movement was not communicated to the right of the turnpike, and the potion of his skirmishers already mentioned as being on that side had been separated from the rest. My examination of my front after the line was formed revealed this to me, and I directed the colonel (McLennan) to report it to General Ransom. he brought me a confused set of directions from General Ransom. he brought me a confused set of direction from General Ransom, which he could not make intelligible, and I went to General Ransom in person, and after some difficulty was informed as to what he desired, viz, to cover my front with additional skirmishers, being assured at the same time that Gracie would close in to the right and connect with me, which was never done until after the fight was over and my brigade had fallen back, in obedience to General Ransom's order, behind the point at which my line of battle had originally been formed.

in consequence of the gap thus left between Gracie and myself, the enemy, greatly superior in number and overlapping when pressed back on my front, were left on my flank. The first time I threw back two companies and repulsed them, and reported the fact to General Ransom by a staff officer (Captain Thom), not in person as stated by General Ransom. Advancing still farther through the dense and tangled woods, my flanks were still more exposed. I found it necessary to turn back the whole of the left regiment parallel to the turnpike and a part of the left right regiment to meet their attacks. Having no mounted officer with me, and deeming it of importance that General Ransom should be informed of the position of affairs, after giving the necessary orders and seeing them in process of execution I rode in person to inform General Ransom, and to ask that horses might be sent to bring off a captured gun. Not waiting to hear me out, General Ransom, in the most offensive manner, ordered me to return and supervise the movement in person. I am unable to perceive the alleged fault of twice reporting my flanks returned, such being the fact of high importance and not proceeding from any error of mine, but caused by Genera Gracie's line being separated by General Ransom's orders.

General Ransom states that he was me several times riding on the turnpike and in an open field, apparently without object. This assertion is not correct. After moving into the woods at the commencement of the fight I was with the troops in the woods without ever leaving them for an instant, save on the single occasion when I reported the enemy on my flanks, and was never where stated by General Ransom. The only explanation I can give of this statement of General Ransom's is that when entering the woods I was riding a horse of a conspicuous color, which, becoming unmanageable from