veloped, in accordance with a telegram from General meade. I wrote to General barlow the order marked Numbers 1, * making the movement dependent upon the advance of the Sixth Corps, which was then held in check by a force of the enemy. Not long after I rode out to the lines to see how the movement was progressing and found there was some difficulty about getting the skirmish lines out. i saw a staff officer of General Wright, who reported that their skirmish line had made no progress. Between 9 and 10, to the best of my memory, I met General Barlow in the woods and he showed me the order marked Numbers 2.* This being quite different in its tenor from the order referred to as Numbers 1. and appearing to me to imperil very much the command, I thought there must be some mistake in the matter, and told General Barlow I would at once ride back to headquarters and ascertain. On my arrival General Birney informed me that we were to make our movement independent of any by the Sixth Corps. I rode back to General Barlow, either taking or sending the order marked Numbers 3. * Before I arrived at First Division headquarters, General Meade had himself been there, and when General Barlow explained to him that there had been a misunderstanding as to whether he should hold his connection to the right or left had replied. "You cannot connect with both; keep your connection to the right; each corps must look out for itself." The movement then progressed without delay. I am not familiar with the circumstances immediately attending the meeting with the enemy. On the receipt of a dispatch from General Wright that there were indications that the enemy were endeavoring to penetrate between this corps and his, I rode over to warn General Barlow, and on my way I saw some of the colors of the First Division in the woods, and was told that the regiments had been "captured" or "cut to pieces". I found General Barlow, and he had already given the order for his second line to return to the rifle-pits as promptly as possible. This line got into the rifle-pits but a very few minutes before the engagement with the enemy, which General Birney witnessed. When General Barlow moved out his division I had a conversation with him as to the danger of the movement, and he was fully impressed with the necessity of guarding his left flank, and i am told had two brigades dropped back for this purpose.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

C. H. MORGAN,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of Staff.

Major-General BIRNEY,

Commanding Second Corps.

Numbers 20. Report of Brigadier General Francis C. Barlow, U. S. army, commanding First Division, of operations June 22 and July 26-29.

HEADQUARTERS FIRST DIVISION, SECOND CORPS,
June 23, 1864.

COLONEL: I have the honor to report that on June 22, instant, I moved to the right and front to connect with and prolong the line of General Mott's division in obedient to orders. This necessarily severed my connection with the Sixth Corps. My left flank being thus unprotected I placed one brigade on the left of General Mott's line and

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*See pp. 325, 326.

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