the enemy being on our flank we could not hold them long. We then retreated, with the rest of the troops, toward the headquarters house, on our rear, when we again formed in line of battle, losing several men. We were then ordered by General Sickles to form, with the troops in our rear, near the place we occupied the night before. We remained here but a short time, when we fell back and joined our own brigade, when we were placed as support to a battery. At 11.30 a. m. we moved to the right, and halted within the breastworks, and fought no more that day.

Permit me to say that great credit is due to both officers and men of my regiment. They shod and fought well in every position. To praise some might to injustice to others; but I cannot pass without favorably mentioning Lieutenant-Colonel Moore, who acquitted himself with honor; also the gallant and heroic conduct of captain Kearny and Adjutant Schoonover, who were of incalculable advantage in leading and urging the men forward. My color-bearer, Sergt. Albert L. de Puget, was ever to the front, and showed himself every inch a soldier. they all deserve great credit and promotion for meritorious conduct.

Our loss in this battle was 20 killed and 113 wounded. Both flagstaffs were shivered by the enemy's fire.

May 4. - We lay in the woods until 2 p. m., when I received orders to go on picket. We marched out to the edge of the woods in front of the breastworks, as a support to the picket, Berdan's Sharpshooters. My instructions were to lie down until the pickets were driven in, then rise and resist the enemy's advance. Soon the enemy advanced, and most of our pickets came in. I went to my left to speak to the major in command of the pickets, and asked if all his men were out of the woods, so that I could fire. He did not seem to hear me; but an order came (which I at first supposed to have been given by him, but afterward ascertained that it was given by the officer in command of the picket on our right) to fall back. At the same moment the enemy opened with a volley of grape and canister at short range, which was immediately replied to by our artillery from the breastworks on the hill, with so low a range as to sweep the surface of the ground. Amid this firing, the men on the right of my regiment supposed the order came from me, and immediately started back. Colonel Moore, the adjutant, and myself endeavored to rally them, but could not. If we had succeeded, we could not have lost less than 100 men, being in a direct line between two fires. The right halted in the ravine, the left went along the rifle pits to our breastworks. I gathered up the scattered forces, and went back with different orders; that, if the enemy opened his artillery, to file into the rifle-pits, so that our artillery could return the fire without injury to us. The enemy did not again bring their artillery to bear upon us, but advanced with musketry, and before our sharpshooters were out of the woods our artillery opened upon them, and we remained fast in our position. One man was wounded by the bursting of our own shells. One shell plowed up the ground near the right of the regiment. The enemy retreated rapidly from the fire of our artillery. Trees were cut off at the roots by our own shells. we lost 20 men wounded by this fire. The next forenoon we had 1 commissioned officer and 2 men wounded by the enemy's sharpshooters.

We were relieved at noon on the 5th. After dark, we were ordered to be in readiness to march at a moment's notice. We were soon ready, and remained in that position until nearly 12 midnight, when Colonel Blaisdell, now in command of the brigade, ordered us back to camp.