No. 108. Reports of Major General Daniel E. Sickles, U. S. Army, commanding Third Army Corps.

HEADQUARTERS THIRD ARMY CORPS, May 20, 1863.

GENERAL: I have the honor to transmit the following report of the operations of this corps during the recent movements of the army:

On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 28, five of my batteries (Seely's, Huntington's, Dimick's, Randolph's, and Lewis') were ordered to report to Brigadier-General Hunt, chief of artillery, and during the night were placed in position as follows: Seely on the river bank at the bridge-head, covering Sedgwick's crossing; Huntington on the crest to the right and rear of Franklin's crossing; Dimick, Randolph, and Lewis in reserve between the railroad and Lacy house.

The infantry and remaining artillery broke camp about 4 p.m., and, marching about 4 miles down the river, took position between Sedgwick's and Reynolds' crossings, and within supporting distance of either. The troops of all arms moved forward with the greatest alacrity and ardor. I reported to General Sedgwick about sunset.

On the morning of the 29th, in obedience to orders of Major-General Sedgwick, my command moved nearer the upper bridges, which had meanwhile been successfully laid by the engineers, where I occupied the ground previously held by the Sixth Corps, one division of which (Brook's) had crossed to the south bank, near the mouth of Deep Run, early in the morning.

On the morning of the 30th, in compliance with General Newton's wishes, sanctioned by Major-General Sedgwick, I placed my artillery in battery on the north bank of the river, to protect the bridges and repel any attack upon Brooks, who remained on the south side.

At 1 p.m. I received orders from the general-in-chief to march my command to the United States Ford, and report to him at or near Chancellorsville, concealing my movement from the enemy and moving expeditiously, so that the heads of my column should pass the bridges not later than 7 o'clock on the following morning, May 1.

Putting my command in three columns, the artillery following divisions, I marched on parallel lines through ravines and on roads masked from the enemy to Hamet's, that is to say, the intersection of the Warrenton pike with the United States Ford road. There we bivouacked, and at 5 a.m. marched to the ford, which Birney crossed at 7 a.m., Whipple and Berry following, well closed up.

Not observing any force besides the Engineer Battalion on the south side, I left one of Berry's brigades (Mott's) and a battery (Seely's) to cover the bridges and my trains, which were parked near the north bank, and pushed ahead with the rest of my column to the front, where I had the honor to report at 9 a.m. to the commanding general, at Chancellorsville. In compliance with orders then received, I massed my forces in the forest, near the junction of the roads leading to Ely's and the United States Fords.

About noon, my attention was directed by the general-in-chief to a demonstration of the enemy's cavalry on our right, in the direction of the United States Ford, and at the same time I was ordered to send a brigade and a battery to Dowdall's Tavern, on the Plank road. Graham's brigade, of Birney's division, and Turnbull's battery were at once moved to that position, with orders to picket well out and to connect