woods and elsewhere from that corps alone. I mention these things to show how little reports of sick, even when they could be had, were to be depended upon in making my estimates for transportation and for hospitals. Not than untrue reports were made by the surgeons, but whenever a march was undertaken straggling was permitted to go on unrestrained, and I fear was sometimes even encouraged by officers whose duty it was to have prevented it. I had frequent occasions to ask attention to this evil during the campaign.

The boats of the Sanitary Commission were employed in transferring some of the sick to the North, and by the 9th of May they had relieved us of 950. We then had 2,000 on hand in Yorktown. I placed Assistant Surgeon Greenleaf, of my staff, at this hospital, who organized and conducted it admirably well. When the pressure was over he was relieved and rejoined me at headquarters.

May 4 the enemy evacuated Yorktown. General Stoneman was sent in pursuit, and on that day he lost 3 killed and 28 wounded. The latter were brought to the rear and placed on the Commodore. The next day the battle of Williamsburg took place. In the night I was directed to send transportation to Queen's Creek for 300 wounded. The Commodore was immediately dispatched in charge of one of my assistants. At noon of the 6th she returned to Yorktown, having been unable to effect a landing, on account of the shoal water. I procured a lighter from Colonel Ingalls, and taking charge of the Commodore myself, proceeded with her to Queen's Creek. Surgeon-General Smith accompanied me. The water was so shallow the steamer could get no nearer than 2 miles to the landing. Lieutenant Remey, of the Navy, boarded us, and courteously offered to land us in his boat. Leaving orders for the lighter to follow up the creek as soon as she came up, Dr. Smith and myself went ashore, set the ambulances in motion, collected from the depots 100 of our wounded, and got the comfortably on the Commodore by 3 a.m. One hundred wounded prisoners were collected in one of the field works near the landing.

The next morning, having organized the ambulance train, I left Dr. Smith to ship the remainder of the wounded, including the prisoners, and boarding a tug, I hastened back to Yorktown to make further arrangements. Here I was met by an order to hurry to Williamsburg to see to the wounded there. Having dispatched the Pennsylvania steamer Whildin to Queen's Creek, accompanied by my senior assistant, Dr. A. K. Smith, of the Army, I hastened to Williamsburg. Here I was joined by a party of able and distinguished surgeons from New York, consisting of Drs. James R. Wood, David L. Rogers, Krackowitzer, Stone, Ayres, and others. Drs. Cabot, Hitchcock, and Bronson, of Massachusetts, were also promptly on the ground. The hospitals were distributed among these gentlemen. I need scarcely say that the wounded received at their hands the most prompt and skillful attention. All the wounded in Williamsburg, comprising about 700 of our men and 333 of the enemy, had the benefit of their care. The remainder of the wounded were attended to in the field depots near the James and York Rivers.

The whole number of killed in that conflict reported to me was 460, and of wounded 1,474.* Four hundred and thirty-three wounded prisoners were left upon our hands. Many of our men were so slightly wounded it was not necessary to send them to the hospitals. Of the prisoners 60 were too badly wounded to be removed. They were left in Williamsburg,

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*But see revised statement, p.450.

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