Answer. When General Banks first came onto the field I met him and went to the front with him, showing positions where the enemy had batteries already posted and where I had discovered they were posting new batteries, and showed General Banks the positions where his own corps could take position to advantage and hold those positions, as I thought, if attacked. I then told him that General Pope wanted him to hold the enemy in check there until Sigel's forces could be brought up, which were expected that day, and all his other forces united to fight Jackson's forces. i mean to be understood to say that it is my impression that General Banks fought that battle entirely upon his own responsibility and against the expectations of General Pope, and those expectations had been expressed to General Banks, as I have already stated, perhaps more strongly.

Question by General MCDOWELL. Do you know why General Banks advanced to make a decisive movement upon the enemy ont he 9th of August without the aid of General McDowell's troops? If so, state why.

Answer. I can only state impressions from facts which I can relate. General Banks had seen nothing of the enemy on that dy, or not much of the enemy, as the country was such (and well known to them) as to enable them to conceal their movements from General Banks. After he first came onto the field and I had suggested positions to the left of Crawford's brigade,w here his main force should take position, he proceeded to put those forces in position in support of Crawford and on his left. I went to the extreme right with one of his brigades (Gordon's) to put it into position, and was gone an hour or more, i should think, as I went some distance to the right, under the belief that a part of the enemy's forces were endeavoring to turn that flank. On returning back to the field I found General Banks had advanced his lines in order of battle considerably toward the enemy, so that very sharp musketry firing had already commenced. i then expressed to General Banks my convictions (and I think this was about 3.30 o'clock) that the enemy was in very large force and massed i the woods on his right. General Banks replied that he did not believe that the enemy was in any considerable force yet, and said that he had resolved to attack their batteries or to attack their main force; it was either the one or the other. From this state of facts I am convinced that General Banks made the attack in the belief that the enemy was not in large force, and that he would succeed in his attack without the aid of other troops. Another reason for this belief is that General Banks supposed that his own force was between 12,000 and 13,000 whereas it was 3,000 less than that number. He was led to this belief by some mistake in returns, which he did not discover until after the battle was fought.

Question by General MCDOWELL. Did you know the character of the dispatches General Banks sent to General Pope prior to his engaging the enemy decisively on the 9th of August?

Answer. I did not.

Question by General MCDOWELL. What knowledge have you of General Pope's intention to engage Jackson as soon as Sigel's forces should arrive and be in condition to move to the front?

Answer. I know that General Pope intended to attack Jackson the moment he concentrated his forces, and was so confident of attacking him successfully that he conversed with me on the manner of holding Gordonsville, where he supposed he'd drive him. It was his intention to have pushed all his forces on the 10th with the expectation of fighting that day.

Question by General MCDOWELL. What, in your judgment, would have been the result had the battle been delayed till the 10th, and had been fought with all the forces General Pope could have been able to bring up by that time?

Answer. I have no doubt that with the forces General Pope could have brought forward on the 10th he would have defeated and captured the greater part of Jackson's army. With the small force General Banks fought his entire army Jackson was so much damaged that he was unable to renew the battle on the 10th, and I take it that about 26,000 more troops added to those which fought on the 9th would have utterly destroyed Jackson's army. His retreat would have been difficult on account of the Rapidan, which was immediately behind him, where he could have been captured.