6th instant, and encamped at Mayou Bayou, 16 miles, at evening. On the 7th instant marched to Pleasant Hill, a distance of 19 miles. On the 8th, moved to Saint Patrick's Bayou, a distance of 10 miles, and went into camp a little after 12 o'clock. I had placed out my pickets, about 3 p.m., when I received orders through Major-General Franklin to move some 5 1/2 miles and support the Fourth Division, who were then reported to be engaged with the enemy. I moved, leaving my wagon train, which had not yet arrived, and five companies of the Twenty-fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry with five companies of the Twenty-ninth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, making a whole regiment which had been detailed in the morning to guard the trains of the Third and Fourth Divisions. The pickets fell in on the march, and I arrived with my command at the scene of the conflict about 4.15 p.m., with the following men: First Brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Flory commanding-Forty-sixth Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry, 13 officers and 252 men; Twenty-ninth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry (five companies), 5 officers and 183 men; total, 18 officers and 435 men. Second Brigade, Colonel Raynor commanding-Fifty-sixth Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry, 9 officers and 224 men; Twenty-fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, (five companies), 6 officers and 182 men; Twenty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, 13 officers and 406 men; total, 28 officers and 812 men. Total in division, 46 officers and 1,247 men.

When I arrived near the ground I found the road so full of teams and stragglers on foot and on horseback as to make it impossible to move any farther, and I commenced forming a line of battle, throwing the First Brigade on the right of the road and the Second on the left. I had only commenced the movement when I received orders from Major-General Banks, commanding department, to do as I had commenced and advance on "double-quick" and occupy the edge of the woods in front. I pushed the command forward as rapidly as possible until I reached the edge of the woods, when I ordered the command to halt and open fire on the masses of the enemy moving down in front. The entire force of the enemy was checked and held for nearly an hour, when they commenced moving in masses on our left-flank. I sent the Twenty-fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, which I held in reserve, to check the movements of the enemy on our left flank. The enemy now moved in masses on our right flank. The Forty-sixth Veteran Volunteers, being on our extreme right, were, by order of Lieutenant-Colonel Flory, ordered to change front to meet the charge, but in a few minutes they were crushed by overwhelming numbers and obliged to give way. The left flank was at about the same time turned and gave way. A heavy body of the enemy, moving down the road on our center in two lines and supported by a line of cavalry, completed our discomfiture, and we were soon in confusion.

I received from time to time verbal orders from Major-General Banks, commanding department, from Major-General Franklin, commanding U. S. forces in Western Louisiana, who were with me in the front, and from Brigadier-General Stone, chief of Major-General Banks' staff. I endeavored to rally the men in vain, for having entirely expended their ammunition not enough could be collected together in any one place in the dense forest to offer any hope in a bayonet charge against the largely superior force of the enemy. The jam of the cavalry train, which caused the loss of the artillery

18 R R-VOL XXXIV, PT I