the contest was a very unequal one, and not knowing the origin of the order for opening, I directed the firing to cease. I afterward ascertained that Lieutenant-General Hill had ordered it. In this affair, Captain Wyatt lost 8 of his best horses. A caisson of the enemy was exploded. In the general engagement that occurred about the middle of the day, the battalion participated. Upon the repulse of our troops, anticipating an advance of the enemy, I ordered up the howitzers. The enemy, however, failed to follow up his advantage, and I got no service out of those useless guns. About dusk on the evening of the 4th, the battalion moved in the direction of Hagerstown, Md., where it arrived on the 7th. On the 11th, the battalion was placed in position in line of battle, which it occupied till the night of the 13th, when, with the army, it fell back, and recrossed the Potomac on the 14th. After remaining several days in the vicinity of Bunker Hill, the march was resumed on the 19th, and on July 25 the battalion reached Culpeper Court-House, and moved to its present locality, near Mitchell's Station, on the 28th. In closing this report, I refer with pleasure to the unexceptionable conduct of the officers and men of all the batteries in the face of the enemy.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. M. POAGUE,

Major, Comdg.

Artillery Battalion, Third Corps.

Colonel R. L. WALKER, Chief of Artillery, Third Corps.

Numbers 563. Report of Major D. G. McIntosh, C. S. Artillery, commanding Reserve Artillery battalion.

MITHCELL'S STATION, July 30, 1863.

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report, as called for, of the operations of this battalion since leaving Fredericksburg, June 15: The command was moved from the latter place, by way of Culpeper Court-House, Front Royal, Shepherdstown, &c., Cashtown, Pa., without incident worthy of special note. On the morning of Wednesday, July 1, it moved with General Pender's division into the line of battle. One battery of Napoleons (Captain [R. S.] Rice) and a section of Whitworths were placed first in position a short distance to the right of the turnpike, by the side of a portion of Major Pegram's battalion, and fire was opened slowly upon the enemy wherever they brought into view considerable bodies of troops, and occasionally upon their batteries. The whitworth guns were used to shell the woods to the right of the town. After a short interval, Captain [M.] Johnson's battery and the remaining section of Captain [W. B.] Hurt's were placed on a commanding hill some distance to the right, near the Fairfield road, at or near which point they remained during the first day's action without any occasion for an active participation, though frequently