the road in rear of them. I put the Sixty-second Ohio in line of battle on the right of Jordan's house, and Lieutenant Sanger's artillery was unlimbered just in the rear. Moving leisurely back, I heard distant artillery and musketry firing in the southeast. When the three regiment had passed the Sixth-second, I put one of them in line and notified Lieutenant-Colonel Plimpton and Captain Nichols to withdraw. When all but a rear guard of 20 cavalry-men had passed the Sixty-second Ohio, that regiment filed into the road and the artillery limbered up. Falling back a mile or less from Jordsan's, by ordered from Major-General Gillmore, the brigade stacked arms, rested an hour, and ate dinner. Its move brought it to the railroad, where it halted another hour; thence it moved slowly, reaching the Appomattox just before sunset, and crossed and returned to camp.

Officers and men conducted themselves to my satisfaction, with the trifling exception of half a dozen men as assault, stragglers or marauders.

I have been exceedingly minute for reasons which need not be mentioned. I trust that I have not Been too prolix. The casualties of the day were only 10.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOS. R. HAWLEY,

Colonel Seventh Connecticut, Commanding Brigade.

Lieutenant Colonel E. W. SMITH,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Tenth Corps.

ADDENDA.

HDQRS. SECOND Brigadier, FIRST DIV., 10TH ARMY CORPS,
Bermuda Hundred Entrenchments, Va., June 12, 1864.

Major-General GILLMORE,

Commanding Tenth Army Corps:

SIR: In response to a verbal request from you to state the opinion held by me while before the defensive works of Petersburg, on the 9th, and now, as to the practicability of an assault upon those works, I have the honor to reply as follows:

In responding briefly as required, it will be impossible to give the reasons and arguments, oft sketches of the ground to illustrate and sustain the opinion. i only give the opinion itself. My own brigade consists of the Third and Seventh New Hampshire, and Sixth and Seventh Connecticut Volunteers, each of which has had experience in the deadly assaults. The Sixty-second Ohio was for the day under my command. Such was the ground, and the extent of it covered by my 2,000 men, that I could not see everything my self, but was obligence, as everybody is under such circumstances, to take the fact given by my officers and men skirmishing, and by the different regiment commanders from their different point of view. I did, however, take a fair look at the main rebel work on its west side; and for the east side, my left, where I could not and keep control of for of my five regiments, I relied upon Lieutenant-Colonel Plimpton, commanding Third New hampshire Volunteers, whose unhesitating bravery in desperate assaults and on the open field make his authority valuable. Colonel Abbott, Seventh New Hampshire, on my right (only skirmishers were beyond him), gave testimony, concurring with all the rest. I am bound to suppose