Old Court-House to march to Petersburg at once, which he did not obey. He clearly committed an error of judgment in taking the wrong road, for which he is certainly responsible so far as responsibility may attach to it.

By command of Major-General Hancock:

FRANCIS A. WALKER,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[First indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS FIRST DIVISION, SECOND CORPS, July 4, 1864.

Respectfully returned.

I do not claim [under all the orders taken together] that I had any right to halt at Cold Court-House. I did not halt there and had not the slightest intention of so doing. I proceeded upon the road, which afterward proved to be the right one, until I was turned back by the directions which Captain Bird brought me from Colonel Morgan. I place my taking the road I did solely and entirely upon this communication which I received from Colonel Morgan and upon no other ground. I respectfully insist that in such circumstances Colonel Morgan's directions cannot be considered in the light of advice. I desire to call attention to the fact which I mentioned before, that the failure of this division to take part in the operations of that day before Petersburg cannot be attributed to any mistake about the roads, inasmuch as it would have been impossible for us under any circumstances to have reached our position before 9.30 or 10 p.m. June 15. It does not seem to me that further remarks on the last indorsement are necessary from me at this time. Dissenting, as I do, very respectfully, but very firmly, from the conclusions of the major-general commanding as to my responsibility on this occasion, I most respectfully ask that if this correspondence is intended as anything more than an investigation of these occurrences between the major-general commanding and myself and if it is intended as anything in the nature of an inquiry into my conduct, the results of which are to be laid before the major-general commanding the army, I may have an opportunity to make a more full and connected explanation than I have been able to do in these hasty indorsements.

FRANCIS C. BARLOW,
Brigadier-General, Commanding Division.

SPECIAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS SECOND ARMY CORPS, June 26, 1864.

No. 165.

I. The Second and Third Brigades of the First Division will at once be consolidated, under the direction of the division commander, who is authorized to make a temporary consolidation of regiments for field purposes, if in his opinion such action will secure the greater efficiency of the command.

II. The following consolidation is ordered in the Second Division of the corps: The Second Brigade will be discontinued, and the regiments distributed as follows: The Sixty-ninth, Seventy-second, and One hundred and sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers and detachment sharpshooters to the Third Brigade. The Fourth Brigade will hereafter be known as