On April 29, the division received orders to march from their camp at Moss' and Skinker's Necks, to Hamilton's Crossing. They reached this point in the evening, and remained there until May 1. Orders were then received to march in a direction leading toward Chancellorsville. The march was continued until night, and resumed early the next morning upon the Plank road leading to Orange Court-House. Arriving at the point where Generals Anderson's and McLaws' divisions were in position, we turned to the left by a road leading by Catharine Furnace to the Brock road, and thence to the Orange [Court-House] and Fredericksburg Plank road, which we followed to the Germanna Junction. Here the First Brigade, under General Paxton, was detached from the division and ordered to report to Brigadier General Fitz. Lee, of the cavalry. This brigade was not engaged during the evening of the 2nd, and did not rejoin the division until next morning. The rest of the division moved on, together with the corps, until they had reached a point west of Wilderness Church and in the rear of the enemy's right flank.

About 5 p. m. on May 2, I received orders to form line of battle near the Luckett house, perpendicular to a road which passes on by Wilderness Church and merges into the Plank road leading to Chancellorsville. After receiving several orders and counter-orders, which caused some delay, my line was finally formed-my three brigades being nearly all on the left of the road, Colston's brigade being on the right, under Colonel [E. T. H.] Warren; Jones' brigade next, and Nicholls' on the extreme left. My line was about 200 yards in the rear of General Rodes, who was in the first line, and orders were received that when any portion of the first line needed re-enforcements, the officer commanding this position would call for and received aid from the portion of the line in his rear without referring the order to division commanders.

Orders to advance were received at 6 o'clock precisely, and the troops moved on with enthusiasm against the enemy. In a few moments the action opened with a tremendous fire of musketry, two pieces of Stuart's Horse Artillery in the road supporting our infantry with their fire. Notwithstanding the tangled and very difficult character of the woods and the resistance of the enemy, our troops advanced with great rapidity, driving the enemy like chaff before them, but not without loss to themselves. The division had advanced but a short time (not more than ten or fifteen minutes), and the battle had hardly more than commenced, when General Rodes called upon Colonel Warren to support him. The troops of my division had pressed on so ardently that they were already within a few steps of the first line, and in some places mixed up with them. The second and third brigades, commanded by General J. R. Jones and Colonel Warren, pushed on with and through the first line, and they were the first to charge upon and capture the first line of intrenchments of the enemy, which were in an open field beyond the Wilderness Church. This they did under a heavy fire of artillery and musketry. A large number of prisoners and two pieces of artillery were taken here by the Second Brigade, Captain W. S. Hannah, of the Fiftieth Virginia Regiment, being the first to lay his hands upon these pieces, and Color Sergeant [Joseph H.] Pickle, of the same regiment, planted his colors over them. At the same time three pieces of artillery and a number of prisoners were taken by the Third Brigade, whose gallant commander (Colonel Warren) had fallen, severely wounded, a few minutes before, and which was now under the command of Colonel T. V. Williams, Thirty-seventh Virginia. We continued to drive the enemy before us until darkness prevented our farther advance. The firing had now ceased. Owing to the very difficult and tangled nature of the