batteries over the heads of our own men, and, on the application of General Humphreys, sent two of my regiments to his assistance. About this time the command of the corps was turned over to me by Major-General Hancock. The smoke was at this time so dense that but little could be seen of the battle, and I directed some of the guns to cease firing, fearing they might injure our own men or uselessly waste their ammunition. The Eighty-second New York and Fifteenth Massachusetts, near the brick house, were overpowered, outflanked by the enemy in pursuit of the Third Corps, and forced back after heavy loss, including both commanding officers. The Nineteenth Massachusetts, Colonel Devereux, and Forty-second New York, Colonel Mallon, sent to the assistance of General Humphreys, finding themselves unable with that small force to stem the triumphant advance of the enemy, retired, after a short struggle, in good order. The enemy came on with such impetuosity that the head of his column came quite through a vacancy in our line to the left of my division, opened by detaching troops to other points. By the steadiness, however, of the troops in the immediate vicinity, and the timely arrival of the Twelfth Corps, this advance was checked and driven back with considerable loss, the pursuit being continued for some distance beyond our lines, and all the guns overrun by the enemy retaken. Darkness ended the contest here, but it continued for some time on our right, in front of the Eleventh Corps. I sent Carroll's brigade, of the Third Division, and two regiments of Webb's brigade to its assistance. July 3. - Skirmishing continued all along the line at intervals during the morning, and some little artillery firing occurred, but at 1 o'clock {at which time, General Hancock having resumed command of the corps, I returned to my division
the enemy opened with his artillery all along his line, and for two hours the most terrific shower of shot and shell continued, ably responded to by our batteries. At the end of that time the fire on both sides slackened, and the enemy displayed his first line coming out of the woods, and preceded by a heavy line of skirmishers, which commenced immediately to push ours back. The line moved steadily to the front in a way to excite the admiration of every one, and was followed by a second and third, extending all along our front as far as the eye could reach. our guns were run well forward, so as to give them a hood sweep over the ground, loaded with canister, and the men warned to keep well under cover, and to reserve their fire until the enemy got well within range. As the front line came up, it was met with such a withering fire of canister and musketry as soon melted it away, but still on they came from behind, pressing forward to the wall. By this time most of our artillerymen had fallen, and but an occasional cannon shot along our part of the line interrupted the continuous rattle of musketry. The right of the enemy's line did not extend as far as the left of my division, and, while urging forward some of my left regiments to take his line in flank, I was wounded and left the field. The rest is told by the brigade reports. Webb's line of three small regiments was overwhelmed and driven back by the superior masses of the enemy, but Hall's men, skillfully directed by himself and the gallant Devereux, Mallon, and others, rushed to the rescue, fell upon him in flank, and, with the assistance of some of the First Brigade and of Webb's men, who, under the direction of their brave commander, Colonel Smith, Seventy-first

27 R R- VOL XXVII, PT I