in the First Louisiana Regiment, as shown by the list of casualties herewith appended.* Our pickets were relieved by regiments of General Ransom's brigade, and most of them, composed of new troops, behaved with great steadiness and coolness in this their first conflict with the enemy.

Late in the evening we pushed the enemy on our right to recover the ground lost in the morning. This was accomplished by the Fourth Georgia Regiment, supported by Colonel [Robert C.] Hill's regiment, of Ransom's brigade (Forty-eighth North Carolina). Brigadier-General Mahone had sent Grimes' battery to a position near French's house, and it was well served against the enemy. He also moved a portion of his brigade so as to protect the right of General Wright's line. The Forty-ninth Virginia, Colonel William Smith, supported by the Forty-first Virginia Regiment, were so placed as to flank the enemy on their left as they advanced on Colonel Hill. Their fire assisted greatly in repulsing the enemy. I inclose the reports of Generals Mahone and Wright. General Armistead's whole force was engaged on our left, and by evening they had fully recovered our original picket line. General Wright reports the handsome manner in which a portion of Captain Frank Huger's battery drove off the pieces the enemy had advanced down the Williamsburg road and with which he kept up a fire on our whole line until driven off by our guns, which were afterward advanced to the position held by the enemy and fired into his camps.

The brigade of Brigadier-General Walker reported to me on the 26th and was held in reserve as a support, but was next morning, by your instructions, sent elsewhere. The troops which were in my rear all moved off during the night of the 25th or morning of the 26th to commence that series of brilliant actions which began on the enemy's right. My division alone remained between the enemy and Richmond on this approach.

During June 26,27, and 28 we pushed forward our scouts and advanced to the abatis around the enemy's works, but found them in force; and similar reconnaissances made by General Magruder and McLaws, with whom I was in communication, indicated that the force in our front was not reduced by the operations taking place on our left.

On Saturday, June 28, the enemy kept quiet and we suspected they were retiring. The pickets heard wagons moving off during that night. I ordered the pickets to advance and push scouts up at daylight Sunday morning to give information. No report coming from them, after sunrise I rode forward to the advanced pickets and met Colonel Doles, of the Fourth Georgia, who had just come to the conclusion that the enemy had left and a white flag was shown from the works. With a company of the Fourth Georgia Regiment I rode forward with one aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Sloan, and entered the works. A few men, who represented themselves left as hospital attendants, were the only persons there. The tents were left standing, cut and I was informed a surgeon was left with [the] sick. I rode on and found him and read his order, and directed him to remain with the sick and he would not be considered a prisoner of war.

By this time all the regiments on picket duty had marched up to the works. I rode along the lines, announced to them the enemy had left, and we were ordered to follow them down the Charles City road. General Wright had joined me, and he and the other brigadiers were ordered

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*Embodied in returns, pp.981,982.

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